Food, Energy and Water (FEW) Nexus Modeling Framework

Abstract

As the global population soars from today’s 7.3 billion to an estimated 10 billion by 2050 of which 400 million to the US, the demand for Food, Energy and Water (FEW) are expected to more than double. Such an increase in population and consequently, in the demand for FEW resources will undoubtedly be a global challenge. Food, energy and water for smart sustainable cities involve a multi-scale challenge problem. The three dynamic interacting infrastructures require a mathematical framework for analyzing such a large complex system. Technology innovation at the nexus and quantifying the nexus are two critical solutions in this research area. This paper focuses on quantifying and modeling the nexus by proposing a Leontief input-output model. It further uses network analysis to investigate the networks of FEW interdependencies from the input-output model.