A data driven approach to study Water-Energy-Food Nexus

There is an increasing demand for food, water and energy mainly driven by rapid urbanization, rising population, economic growth and regional conflicts. As water, energy and food are interconnected and are part of a system, we used an integrated Water-Energy-Food Nexus framework to understand the interdependence of water, energy and food and the impacts of climate change on water, energy, and food consumption in Nepal, a country in Southeast Asia. Assessing Water-Energy-Food Nexus is particularly challenging due to gaps in datasets and lack of long term observations. NASA's Earth Observation data provide long-term observations of the planet at various spatial and temporal resolutions, thus closing the gaps in the data.

We use a data driven approach by combining NASA's Earth Observation data with hydropower generation, agricultural production and socioeconomic data in Nepal. This integrated approach will help to understand the complex interactions between water, energy and food , manage and optimize resources, build a climate resilient system and potentially meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).