View this email in your browser Dear colleagues, partners, and friends, We have recently launched the NEXUS Gains 2023 annual technical report which shows how the Initiative has built on previous achievements to contribute to a positive transformation of the water–energy–food–ecosystems (WEFE) nexus. By facilitating knowledge generation and exchange, innovative solutions, and strategic partnerships, the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains is promoting systems thinking and enhancing efforts to achieve inclusive development whilst simultaneously conserving biodiversity and mitigating climate change impacts. A particular success came from Pakistan’s Punjab Province, where, with our support, the government is rolling out a Groundwater Management Information System – a practical, near-real-time tool to help reverse the rapid deterioration of groundwater and safeguard food security. Elsewhere, we remained pioneers in gender equality and social inclusion in the WEFE nexus, with new research from Nepal demonstrating how women can access renewable energy in ways that strengthen their agency and entrepreneurship. We have also worked with policymakers and government stakeholders to show how effective governance can minimize trade-offs and maximize gains across WEFE sectors. We look forward to making further contributions in 2024. Wishing you all the best, Matthew McCartney – NEXUS Gains Initiative Lead Claudia Ringler – NEXUS Gains Initiative Co-lead https://mailchi.mp/8ae6f9567cf6/building-on-our-achievements-to-transform-the-wefe-nexus?e=[UNIQID] https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/nexus-gains/ https://www.cgiar.org/initiative/nexus-gains/ https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141696 http://eepurl.com/h-H82L https://us8.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae https://us8.campaign-archive.com/feed?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae javascript:; 2023 achievements Get involved Join our webinar on the food–biodiversity–climate nexus Achieving food, biodiversity, and climate goals in tandem requires managing land-use systems for multiple purposes. NEXUS Gains Talk #24, on ‘Spatially explicit approaches at the food–biodiversity–climate nexus’, focuses on using spatial datasets to guide and prioritize interventions on and off-farm to support food security, biodiversity conservation, and climate mitigation objectives. Date: July 10, 2024 Time: 12:00–13:00 UTC | 14:00–15:00 CEST | 17:30–18:30 IST Apply for the WEF Nexus Regional Summit The summit will focus on accelerating progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Southern Africa through broadening and operationalizing the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus, addressing questions around challenges and opportunities, and the need for capacity, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. The event is convened by the Water Research Commission, in collaboration with partners including NEXUS Gains. Date: August 19–20 Register for the webinar https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mVFYC0c6STujuj6DZxZNkA#/registration http://eepurl.com/h-H82L https://us8.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae https://us8.campaign-archive.com/feed?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae javascript:; NEXUS highlights New podcast series: Fostering diverse WEF nexus networks A new podcast series, put together by the Global WEF Nexus Community and entitled ‘Unveiling Synergies’, aims to bring the critical concepts behind the WEF nexus approach to a broader audience. The podcasts feature interviews with leading WEF nexus researchers to explain nexus concepts through moderated conversations for researchers, government actors, practitioners, and other interested stakeholders. Scorecard for education and research The Nexus Capacity Scorecard for education and research contributes to a toolkit developed to gauge nexus capacities within and across institutions working in WEFE sectors. The Scorecard supports the self-assessment of institutional processes, readiness, and capacities in relation to WEFE approaches. The purpose is to identify opportunities, possible gaps, and inform the planning of tailored WEFE nexus capacity-building efforts, programs, interventions, and monitoring. NEXUS Gains at the Dushanbe Water Conference IWMI participated in the Third High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” from 10 to 13 June in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The IWMI delegation was led by Deputy Director General Dr Rachael McDonnell, alongside Dr Mohsin Hafeez (Director of Water, Food and Ecosystems) and Dr Bunyod Holmatov (Research Group Leader). Dr McDonell and Dr Hafeez contributed to the conference’s final declaration. IWMI’s NEXUS Gains team organized two side events and Dr Hafeez delivered a keynote speech on the Initiative’s work in Central Asia and across the globe. See more details on LinkedIn. FoodShot GroundBreaker Prize finalist Ruth Meinzen-Dick was a FoodShot Prize finalist for her work on Experiential Learning Tools for Water Management. This addresses overuse of water by using an innovative experiential learning approach to advance efficient agricultural water use, which has been applied in over 8,000 communities in India and adapted and piloted in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nepal. Ruth is Senior Research Fellow at IFPRI and a NEXUS Gains Work Package Lead, and this work is being taken forward as part of NEXUS Gains’ Groundwater Governance Toolbox. Learn more and apply Location: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa https://www.buzzsprout.com/2357494/14947623 https://www.cgiar.org/research/tool/nexus-capacity-scorecard/ https://conf2024.dushanbewaterprocess.org/conference/ https://conf2024.dushanbewaterprocess.org/conference/ https://conf2024.dushanbewaterprocess.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Final-Declaration_Dushanbe-Water-Action-Decade-Conference-_v12June2024.pdf https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7208781651391176704/ https://www.foodshot.org/foodshots_4.html https://www.cgiar.org/research/publication/groundwater-governance-toolbox-guidance-for-improving-groundwater-governance-ipsr-innovation-profile/ https://www.cgiar.org/research/publication/groundwater-governance-toolbox-guidance-for-improving-groundwater-governance-ipsr-innovation-profile/ https://www.wrc.org.za/future-events http://eepurl.com/h-H82L https://us8.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae https://us8.campaign-archive.com/feed?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae javascript:; Gender matters Blog: To improve Africa’s soil health and plant nutrition, empower women farmers By affecting food production, energy and water dynamics, and biodiversity, soil health is intricately linked to the WEFE nexus. Gender inequality is deeply embedded in soil health and plant nutrient management; it reinforces barriers and represents a ‘wicked problem’ requiring a fuller understanding of context and culture- specific approaches. The launches of the African Union’s African Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan 2023-2033 and the Nairobi Declaration are a timely response to these challenges. In this blog, IFPRI outlines the issues women farmers face and makes recommendations to build on the Plan and bring greater gender equity and agricultural productivity to programs supporting soil health. Exploring policy coherence to understand limited progress of GESI in Nepal's energy sector SDG7 aims to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable energy for all, but securing universal access remains a challenge worldwide. Nepal is committed to SDG7, yet its energy policy includes only limited provisions for ensuring energy access by marginalized groups and women. This paper studies the cohesion between policies and policy instruments at different levels of governance to identify bottlenecks to gender and social inclusion (GESI), tracing the coherence of GESI policy through time and in relation to overall GESI policy objectives. News and views Water Productivity Atlas: Enhancing cross-sector benefits India’s Central Ground Water Board estimates groundwater extraction and compares it with sustainable groundwater resources to assess the severity of groundwater overexploitation. This is the primary information needed by decision- makers managing water resources. However, detailed information is lacking on the productivity of water resources used in agriculture – the amount of crop produced per cubic meter of water – in different districts in India. This data is https://www.ifpri.org/blog/improve-africas-soil-health-and-plant-nutrition-empower-women-farmers/ https://www.ifpri.org/blog/improve-africas-soil-health-and-plant-nutrition-empower-women-farmers/ https://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/workingdocuments/43470-wd-2._EN_Africa_Fertilizer_and_Soil_Health_Action_Plan_VI_170523.pdf https://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/workingdocuments/43470-wd-2._EN_Africa_Fertilizer_and_Soil_Health_Action_Plan_VI_170523.pdf https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fau.int%2Fen%2Fdocuments%2F20240509%2Fnairobi-declaration-2024-africa-fertilizer-and-soil-health-summit&data=05%7C02%7CC.RINGLER%40CGIAR.ORG%7C938a8090024d40f392a108dc8eedebdf%7C6afa0e00fa1440b78a2e22a7f8c357d5%7C0%7C0%7C638542399724470483%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=5uDH%2B9%2Bx5PdrU6s0Cs7wOi6B4LaPleQehrQl75azSE8%3D&reserved=0 https://www.ifpri.org/blog/improve-africas-soil-health-and-plant-nutrition-empower-women-farmers https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421524001605 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421524001605 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421524001605 https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/water-productivity-atlas-closing-key-gaps-in-assessment-metrics-to-enhance-cross-sector-benefits/ https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/water-productivity-atlas-closing-key-gaps-in-assessment-metrics-to-enhance-cross-sector-benefits/ http://eepurl.com/h-H82L https://us8.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae https://us8.campaign-archive.com/feed?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae javascript:; needed to focus water saving efforts – and the Water Productivity Atlas helps to fill this g Webinar catch up: The WEFE nexus and the climate crisis The all-encompassing nature of the climate crisis means that it is deeply connected to WEFE systems. But how can decision makers use these connections to support climate mitigation and adaptation goals and sustainable development initiatives? This was the urgent question at the heart of our latest webinar, with a particular focus on the Indus Basin. Watch the recording and read a summary here. Opportunities for co-developing groundwater governance in Nepal Nepal does not have much experience with institutional arrangements for governing intensive groundwater extraction. This blog explains how ‘groundwater games’ can be combined with participatory mapping and monitoring, crop– water budgeting, and multistakeholder processes to improve groundwater governance. This can contribute to more secure access to water for people and ecosystems in a climate crisis. Webinar catch up: Integrated water resources management in the Eastern Nile Basin Integrated assessment models are increasingly called upon to assess not only the hydrological but also the economic and economy-wide impacts of water resource management strategies, such as for employment, agricultural GDP, and rural versus urban household incomes. This webinar discusses how modeling efforts, combined with institutional measures such as data exchange, can help policymakers develop more impactful and integrated water solutions in a climate crisis in the Eastern Nile Basin. https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/water-productivity-atlas-closing-key-gaps-in-assessment-metrics-to-enhance-cross-sector-benefits/ https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/the-wefe-nexus-and-the-climate-crisis-major-challenges-great-opportunities/ https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/the-wefe-nexus-and-the-climate-crisis-major-challenges-great-opportunities/ https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/the-wefe-nexus-and-the-climate-crisis-major-challenges-great-opportunities/ https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/opportunities-for-co-developing-groundwater-governance-in-barahathawa-nepal/ https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/opportunities-for-co-developing-groundwater-governance-in-barahathawa-nepal/ https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/opportunities-for-co-developing-groundwater-governance-in-barahathawa-nepal/ https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/tackling-the-challenges-of-the-eastern-nile-basin-with-nexus-solutions https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/tackling-the-challenges-of-the-eastern-nile-basin-with-nexus-solutions https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/tackling-the-challenges-of-the-eastern-nile-basin-with-nexus-solutions http://eepurl.com/h-H82L https://us8.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae https://us8.campaign-archive.com/feed?u=69773625f2cf788829c741377&id=924903d8ae javascript:; New study emphasizes trade-offs between arresting groundwater depletion and food security Although efforts to slow groundwater depletion need urgent acceleration, this IFPRI study finds that ending groundwater depletion, without complementary policy actions, would lead to sharp declines in global food production, especially of rice and wheat. This would push up international food prices, increasing the number of people at risk of hunger by 24 million. Reducing groundwater withdrawals to sustainable levels whilst simultaneously realizing food and water security objectives requires greater investments in research and development and improved water management practices. Further reading Papers, reports, and briefs Conflict and food security in Sudan: Policy insights and recommendations Integrated assessment of irrigation and agriculture management challenges in Nepal: An interdisciplinary perspective Polycentric groundwater governance: Insights from the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area Soil fertility in mixed crop-livestock farming systems of Punjab, Pakistan: The role of institutional factors and sustainable land management practices Soil quality evaluation for irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan: The Luenberger indicator approach Why small-scale irrigation makes for good nutrition policy Follow us on social media X (formerly Twitter) | Facebook | LinkedIn More news from NEXUS Gains See more NEXUS Gains publications Have you been forwarded this newsletter? 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