Towards water, food and energy security: the global challenges and possible solutions for a holistic vision of sustainability

This invited paper gives an overview of the challenges the world is facing and offers a possible solution for water and food security within the holistic integrated concept of the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus. The paper summarizes the experience the author gained through working on various research projects at national and international levels in several countries while working for academic and research organizations, and his involvement over 30 years in various activities of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, ICID which included serving as the President of ICID for 3 years (2020–2023). The main challenge faced is the population is increasing significantly but water resources do not. Feeding the ever-growing population with no increase in natural resources requires a holistic vision that will lead to the production of more food from less natural resources. The paper is divided into four parts, the first part is related to water resources availability, constraints, the gap between supply and demand as well as the possible solutions to narrow the gap. The second part is related to the challenges to agriculture to feed 9.8 billion by 2050. The third part is dedicated to new technologies to meet the combined challenges to both water resources and agriculture. The fourth part is dedicated to ‘The WEF nexus as a holistic vision of sustainability.’ In conclusion, under a changing climate and an ever increasing population integrated natural resources management is required, within a holistic vision for sustainability that accounts for more efficient use of water resources, enhancing agriculture production with better land management and use of biotechnology, introducing new technologies, capacity building, and adopting the WEF-nexus as the best way to plan and manage the natural resources sustainably and efficiently.