Date post: | 07-Jan-2017 |
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Interdisciplinary Research Opportunities at the Food-Energy-Water Nexus:
Perspectives on the food dimension from an agricultural development economist
Nicole M. Mason, Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Agricultural, Food, & Resource Economics
103-105 Kellogg Center, 14 January 2016
To feed 9.7 billion by 2050, food production will need to increase by at least 50% … and in the face of:
• Poor access to affordable, reliable, clean energy
• Land & water scarcity, degradation/pollution
• Climate change
Not just more food, different food
• Urbanization and rising incomes increased demand for:• Eggs, meat, fish, dairy• Fresh fruits and vegetables• Processed foods and
food away from home
• Many positives but water and energy-intensive
Interdisciplinary research at the FEW nexus
1. Sustainable agricultural intensification
2. Climate smart agriculture3. Improving food systems performance
Land, water, energy, and other inputs• Raising use efficiency• Increasing availability and access to
clean, reliable, sustainable sources
Spillovers at the FEW nexus – e.g.,
• How might improving access to safe drinking water raise agricultural productivity?
• How might having more reliable access to electricity increase the potential for local food processing firms to compete with imports?
Leveraging MSU expertise across campus
• Science of resource use, degradation, & restoration
• Developing new technologies, management practices, governance structures, etc.
• Dynamics of adoption/diffusion of innovations; roles of ICTs and human/institutional capacity building; effects on human health, nutrition, and well-being
• Organizations, institutions, policies; political economy
• Many more dimensions; links among above dimensions
Thank you!
Nicole M. MasonDepartment of Agricultural, Food, & Resource