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Water-Food-Energy Nexus: well-being
indicators for a better quality of life
Fabiola Riccardini
OECD, Expert Workshop on Decision Support Tools for Policy Dialogues
on the W/E/F Nexus in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
Paris, 2-3 June 2015

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Table of contents
 research purpose
 water energy food security
 the nexus in the SDGs process
 nexus approach vs well-being
 some features from Italy
 conclusions

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INTRODUCTION
RESEARCH PURPOSE (the related paper is publishing):
 to investigate on the linkages between the W/F/E Nexus and well-
being
 to look at the BES (benessere equo e sostenibile) domains and
figure out the possible links to food-energy-water security
defining rooms for policy (drivers) and to identify the direct and
indirect impacts on well-being
 To contribute at the UN-SDGs Indicators Debate

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WATER ENERGY FOOD SECURITY
Despite the progress the international community has done thanks to the Millennium
Development Goals, according to the World Bank, 1.2 billion still lack access to
electricity, at least 748 million are without access to clean, safe drinking water and 870
million are malnourished.
The feature is even worse looking at the UN global projections for which world
population is expected to reach 9.5 billion people by 2050. In this context of
demographic pressure the demand of natural resources is supposed to grow
exponentially and accordingly the competition among these is expected to burden.
IMPORTANCE OF THE NEXUS APPROACH

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THE NEXUS APPROACH WITHIN THE SDG’S
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and
promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all
Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern
energy for all
Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

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THE NEXUS APPROACH WITHIN THE SDG’S
TARGETS
Goal 2
2,3 By 2030 double the agricultural productivity and the incomes of small-scale food producers, particularly women,
indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other
productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-
farm employment.
2,4 By 2030 ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase
productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaption to climate change,
extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
Goal 6
6,1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
6,2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation, paying
special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6,4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and
supply of freshwater to address water scarcity, and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water
scarcity.
6,5 By 2030 implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary
cooperation as appropriate.
Goal 7
7,1 By 2030 ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services
7,3 Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030
Goal 12
12,2 By 2030 achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12,3 By 2030 halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level, and reduce food losses along
production and supply chains including post-harvest losses.
12,4 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.
12,5 Encourage companies, especially large and trans-national companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to
integrate sustainability
information into their reporting cycle.
12,6 By 2030 ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development
and lifestyles in harmony with nature

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NEXUS Vs WELL-BEING
The aim of this work was to investigate on the linkages between the
Nexus and well-being. In particular the Nexus will be framed within the
Italian BES (Benessere equo e sostenibile).
As Part of the international debate on "Gdp and beyond“ The BES
Project is aimed to measure equitable and sustainable well-being
The central idea is that economic parameters alone are inadequate to
evaluate the progress of societies and should be complemented by
social and environmental information and by measures of inequality
and sustainability
12 domains of wellbeing
Annual Reports 2013 and 2014, next Sept 2015
Website: http://www.misuredelbenessere.it/

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Key domains for the Italian BES

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NEXUS Vs WELL-BEING : THE PROPOSED FRAMEWORK
Barilla Double Pyramid : what is good for you is good for your planet

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NEXUS Vs WELL-BEING : THE PROPOSED FRAMEWORK
The nexus framed through the BES domains

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NEXUS Vs WELL-BEING : THE PROPOSED FRAMEWORK
The nexus framed through the BES domains and indicators
Direct impact
Environment
and Landscape
Direct impact
Health
Quasi-direct impacts
Labor
Economic wellbeing
social
relations
Safety
Subjective
well-being
DRIVERS
Politics and Institutions
Quality of services
Education
Research and Innovation
 Healthy life
expectancy
 Physical
component
summary
 Life style:
nutrition
 Overweight
 Drinkable water
 Material flows
 Erosion of rural area for
abandonment
 urban sprawl
 Quality assessment of
Regional programmers
for rural development
 Regularity in water
supply and
electrification
 recycling rate
 Food education
 Ending waste and
reuse educations
 Smallholders
agriculture
 Technologies for
resource efficiency
 Satisfaction with
family and friends
relations
 Life satisfaction
 employment
 Disposable income
 deprivation
N
E
X
U
S

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NEXUS Vs WELL-BEING : an interlinkages analysis over the
SDG’s goals and targets
DRIVERS
Politics and Institutions
Quality of services
Education
Research and
Innovation
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve
food security and improved
nutrition, and promote
sustainable agriculture
Goal 6: Ensure availability
and sustainable
management of water and
sanitation for all
Goal 7: Ensure access to
affordable, reliable,
sustainable, and modern
energy for all
Goal 12: Ensure
sustainable
consumption and
production patterns
N
E
X
U
S
6,4 7,2 12,2
Direct impact
Environment
and
Landscape
Direct
impact
Health
Quasi-direct
impacts
Labor
Economic
wellbeing

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Drivers
DRIVERS
Politica e istituzioni
qualità dei servizi
Istruzione
Ricerca e Innovazione
Education
• Food education and
“ending waste”
policies
• Promote the culture of
recycling
Research and
Innovation
• Improve resources
efficiency through
technology
Politics and Institutions
• Promotion of
smallholders
agriculture and more
safty agriculture as a
means of sustainable
agriculture
Quality of services
• Guarantee the regularity of
the Public Utilities
services( e.g. water supply
and electricity power
distribution)
• Waste differentiation and
reduction of waste

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Some features from Italy: food Pyramid
pane pasta
carni bianche
frutta
carni bovine
latte
pesce
uova
verdure
dolci
carne maiale
ortaggi
formaggi
84.93
80.20
76.22
70.81
59.12
58.60
56.74
50.78
48.94
46.62
42.58
23.69
Food habits: consumption per food kind
(average 2005-2013)
Italian people consume lot of
pasta, meat (white and red) a
good proportion of fruit but
still a too small portion of
vegetables
Carne
Patate,…
Pane e…
Latte, formaggi e uova
Bevande
Pesce
Zucchero, caffé, thé, cacao ed altro
Olii e…
23.0
17.9
16.9
13.6
9.2
8.7
7.1
3.6
Households monthly expenditure for food and beverage average
2001-2013(percentages)Also looking at the
households monthly food
expenditure, Italian families
show an high meat
consumption and a still low
vegetables consumption

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Some features from Italy: environmental Pyramid
1998-2002 2003-2007 2008-2012
30134 30134 30134
36% 32% 32%
Land use : total area and percentage of
total country are cultivated
Total area (1000 ha) % of total country area cultivated (%)
1998-2002 2003-2007
45.41
20.01
12.89
Water use : total area and percentage of total
country are cultivated
Agricultural water withdrawal (10^9 m3/year) Total water withdrawal (10^9 m3/year)
Sources: FAOSTAT
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008
Agriculture and forestry energy use as a % of
total Energy use (%)
Italy European Union
The European percentage of land use
is on average 50% against the Italian
32%. While the European agriculture
and forestry use is on average 2,47%
against the Italian 2,37%

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Some features from Italy: Direct Impact, Health
40.0
45.0
50.0
55.0
60.0
65.0
70.0
75.0
80.0
85.0
90.0
2009 2010 2011 2012
Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy (years )
SPERANZA DI VITA IN BUONA SALUTE SPERANZA DI VITA
..... linea tratteggiata per le donne
Women live longer
but with lower good
health expectations
25.0
27.0
29.0
31.0
33.0
35.0
37.0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Overweight (percentage of people 18 years
and more )
donne uomini fonte BES
Men suffer overweight more
than women. According to
WHO in Europe 50% of both
male and female are
overweight. Italy lies below
this threshold with about
44% of overweighed

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Some features from Italy: Direct Impact, Landscape and
Environment
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Energy from renewable sources
(Share of energy consumptions provided by renewable
sources on total internal consumptions.)
Nord Centro Mezzogiorno Italia
fonte BES
Nord Centro Mezzogiorno
23.4 22.5
15.5
Erosion of farmland from urban sprawl (reference
year 2001 percentage)
fonte BES
Nord Centro Mezzogiorno
24.1 22.9
34.9
Erosion of farmland from abandonment (year 2001
percentages)
fonte BES
Farmland recovery especially for
agricultural purpose are the
advised policies the selected
indicators should assess.

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Some features from Italy: Semi direct Impact, labor and
economic well-being
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Employment rate , 2004-2013
(percentages)
MASCHI totale FEMMINE
fonte BES
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
Number of employee broken down by
economic activity, - 1977-2011 (thousands )
AGRICOLTURA INDUSTRIA SERVIZI TOTALE
Fonte ISTAT rilevazione sulla forza lavoro
11000
13000
15000
17000
19000
21000
23000
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Disposable income per capita, 2004-2012
Nord Centro Mezzogiorno Italia
Looking at the number of employee
per economic activities in 2011 only
3,7% were employed in agricultural
activities against 28,5% in industry
and 68% in the third sector.

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Conclusions
 The main idea behind the proposed framework is
that food sustainability can lead environmental
sustainability. So an effective management over
the food centered nexus strongly affect
wellbeing in terms of health, environment,
labor, social relations and overall
satisfaction…
 To this extent ad hoc policies to implement the
food/environment sustainability cycle are required,
in order to achieve goals for wellbeing of people
(food safty beyond food security), and taking in
consideration the Nature’s limits

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THANK YOU
FOR ATTENTION
La terra
vulcanica è
fertilissima:
usa le tue
mani oltre
che la testa!