ABSTRACT
While the links between water, energy and food (WEF) have long been recognized, especially within the river-basin management community, the wider ramifications of these links and the widespread application of the term “nexus” was stimulated by a conference on this nexus held in Bonn in 2011 (Hoff, 2011; Leck et al., 2015). Each of the three factors is intimately linked to the other two. Water is an essential input into food production to such an extent that the agricultural sector is by far the largest consumer of water in most countries. Water also plays a significant role in the energy sector. Though much of this use is in the form of withdrawal, consumption may also be significant depending on the nature of the process and the technologies applied (see Box 23.1 for definitions). Not only do the agriculture and energy sectors consume water, but they may also cause significant damage to water quality.
