Springer Food, Energy, and Water Nexus: A Consideration for the 21st Century

In this book, major issues surrounding importance of water and energy for food security in the United States and India are described representing two extremes in yield, irrigation efficiency, and automation. The farming systems in these two countries face different risks in terms of climatic shifts and systems’ resiliency to handle the shocks. One may have comparative advantage over the other, but both are susceptible. Innovations in irrigation for food and fuel production, improvements in nitrogen and water use efficiency, and rural sociological issues are discussed here. We also look into some of the unintended consequences of high productivity agriculture in terms of surface and ground water quality and impacts on ecosystem services. Finally, we present ways to move forward to meet the food demands in the next half-century in both countries.  As the current world population of 7 billion is expected to reach or exceed 10 billion in the next 40 years, there will be significant additional demand for food. A rising middle class and its preference for a meat-based diet also increases the demand for animal feed. This additional food and feed production needs special considerations in water and energy management besides the development of appropriate crop hybrids to withstand future climatic shifts and other environmental factors. A resilient agricultural landscapes will also be needed to withstand climatic fluctuations, disease pressures, etc. While the upper and many middle income countries have made significant improvements in crop yield due to pressurized irrigation and automation in farming systems, the lower income countries are struggling with yield enhancements due to such limitations. The rise in population is expected to be more in Sub-Sharan Africa and Middle East (Low to middle-income countries) where the crop yields are expected to be low. From the Back Cover This edited volume presents food, energy, and water issues around the world in a nexus context. The chapters in the volume provide a linkage among food production for human and animal consumption and energy production and water use.  Environmental, cultural and social dimensions in the context food and feed production are highlighted. Readers will compare and contrast issues in USA and India with different sizes of farms, cropping systems, and technology use. Adequate availability of water for food production and best practices to reduce water consumption appear to be common issues in both countries. The volume also examines water management institutions for their role in managing water, discusses ground water contamination issues at micro- and nano-scales from naturally occurring and anthropogenic contaminants in soil and irrigation water, and provides a conceptual framework about the management of agricultural landscapes.  This work shows how technology can be used to optimize water use in agriculture best possible yields and balances the need for increased food production with water for environmental and ecological needs.   About the Author Chittaranjan Ray, Ph.D. is the Director of Nebraska Water Center and Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Nebraska.  Prior to this appointment, he was a professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Interim Director of the Water Resources Research Center at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and M.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University. He served as a staff engineer with the consulting firm Geraghty & Miller, Inc. (now part of Arcadis Geraghty & Miller) in Hackensack, New Jersey between his two graduate degrees. Additionally, he was employed as a research associate and associate scientist at the Illinois State Water Survey in Champaign, Illinois. His research interests are in the areas of wat