Speaker
Description
The response to increasing strains on water, energy, and food resources and their interconnections has led to an analysis of the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus and its role in development approaches for communities. The FEW Nexus concept was developed because food, energy, and water are inextricably linked and constitute essential human rights. A Nexus approach is a systematic analysis of interactions between human activities and their environment, with the purpose of working towards coordinated management on local, national, and international levels. Addressing the FEW Nexus in an integrated approach is crucial for off-grid communities that lack access to centralized infrastructure such as water, electricity, and sewage grids. It is estimated that 70% of the world's population is not connected to sewage grids. The outcome is that sewage is poorly managed or not managed at all, and is discharged directly or indirectly into the environment. The result is pollution of surface and groundwater and exposure risks to water-borne diseases. In this talk, I will present on the work of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, which is pioneering onsite and off-grid FEW technologies for off-grid wastewater treatment and reuse for irrigation. I will present two case studies, the first is in an off-grid Bedouin community in Israel, and the second is a Palestinian dairy farm in Jericho. Both case studies highlight how these off-grid technologies directly serve the communities via a partnership, whereby improved sanitation, food security, and energy benefits for the socioeconomic development of the community are realized.
