MANAGEMENT OF WATER, ENERGY AND FOOD IN KUWAIT (A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH CALLIFORNIA (USA) AND NINGXIA (CHINA))

Abstract

Water, energy and food (WEF) are crucial resources for human well-being and socioeconomic development. These resources are inextricably linked. Providing abundant and clean sources of water requires energy and similarly food production needs water and energy. The relationship between water, energy, and food is referred to as "water, energy, and food nexus". The nexus approach has been widely recognized water, energy, and food nexus which is guaranteed and sustain achieving the security of water, energy, and food. California (USA), Ningxia (China), and Kuwait have made a great effort to secure their water, energy, and food to meet socio-economic needs. The increase in population, socio-economic growth, and the growth of pattern of life have significantly increased freshwater demands. To face these escalating demands, and due to the limited availability of natural water resources, the government in California and Kuwait resorted to non-conventional water sources, such as the desalinated water, to meet water requirements in the domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors. However, to continue fulfill the needs of those sectors by the current rates through the expansion of desalination plants, it will increase the economic burdens and will lead to negative environmental impacts. The situation will be further aggravated by the lack of comprehensive long-term water, energy and food policies and strategies in the domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors that need to be based on