Context matters: A framework for assessing the suitability of climate smart agriculture technologies for smallholder farmers
This chapter presents a framework for climate-smart technology adoption that emphasizes the critical role of contextual factors in shaping agricultural resilience. It highlights how socioeconomic conditions, policy environments, and resource availability vary significantly across countries, which ultimately needs to reflect on the choice of technologies to be adopted. The framework synthesizes nine key indicators and […]
Toward Community-Engaged Sustainable Development Goals Localization: San Antonio, TX
Sustainable urban development requires locally relevant strategies that respond to complex challenges of climate change, inequality, and rapid population growth. This paper demonstrates how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can serve as a guiding framework for city-level planning, applied through participatory approaches. We leveraged expert stakeholder engagement and broad public participation in San Antonio, TX, […]
From Data to Decisions: Water-Energy-Food-Environment (WEFE) Nexus Modeling Under Changing Climate
Transforming data into actionable insights is crucial for building resilient and sustainable water, energy, food, and environmental systems. However, the accelerating impacts of climate change are reshaping the dynamics of WEFE systems, intensifying resource interdependencies, and challenging conventional resource planning approaches. To navigate this complexity, decision-makers increasingly need integrated modeling frameworks that reflect cross-sectoral linkages […]
Farmer field schools: cultivating collaborative innovation for synergies in water, energy and food security in Uganda
In the specific context of Uganda, this report highlights the key benefits of farmer field schools and provides recommendations for policymakers to support and scale up initiatives at the district level. A district-level focus is valuable because it aligns with existing governance structures and facilitates integration into broader development plans, which can accelerate sustainable development […]
Simplexifying Sustainability
How can sustainability science avoid paralysis in the face of complexity and ensure it catalyses meaningful action? The key lies in practising the science and art of simplexity, argues Bassel Daher. You can find the full article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01650-5.epdf
Inclusive policy development from the ground up: Insights from the household water-energy-food nexus
Despite substantial contemporary research and a growing trend in exploring the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, most research efforts have been invested in macro-level supply-side infrastructure and policies. However, prioritizing demand-side management policies can provide new opportunities and untapped potential for addressing interconnected resource challenges. Demand management inherently encompasses users’ consumption patterns, behaviors, socio-economic conditions, and choices, […]
Coproducing water-energy-food Nexus actionable knowledge: Lessons from a multi-actor collaborative learning school in Uganda, East Africa
The water-energy-food (WEF) Nexus is an integrative framework for addressing the multi-scalar interdependencies that challenge sustainability solutions across the water, energy, and food systems. However, challenges linked to scale and data availability often make WEF analyses more theoretical, limiting their ability to offer practical, implementable solutions in policy and decision contexts. This paper introduces Collaborative […]
Farmer field schools: cultivating collaborative innovation for synergies in water, energy and food security in Uganda
In the specific context of Uganda, this report highlights the key benefits of farmer field schools and provides recommendations for policymakers to support and scale up initiatives at the district level. A district-level focus is valuable because it aligns with existing governance structures and facilitates integration into broader development plans, which can accelerate sustainable development […]
Water and Youth Engagement Strategy 2023-2028
Youth make up a large portion of the world’s population, as well as the UfM member states population. Nearly 15.5% of the world’s population is between the ages of 15-24.4 Within the UfM member states, a similar population average of 12.8% of the total population are between the age range of 15-24.5 If we consider […]
The relevance and challenges in communicating the nexus
Beyond academic debates, the nexus remains a new concept for many practitioners and decision-makers, with often only a fuzzy delineation (intersection of water, energy, food, land, climate, biodiversity, health, etc.) and limited attraction. In addition, its association to ‘complexity’ often hampers the uptake in solution-oriented and sector-specific planning and management, whilst simplified approaches are discarded […]