Our interdisciplinary, international team develops holistic solutions that focus on all areas of the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus, enhancing climate resilience and protecting global public health.
Defining the FEW Nexus
What do we mean by food-energy-water systems?
- No food can be grown without water and energy
- Wastewater treatment requires energy and electricity generation requires vast amounts of water
- Energy should be sourced sustainably in ways that don't increase climate change
The FEW nexus approaches sustainable food production by integrating these three essential resources. We can engineer more efficient ways to irrigate crops, such as drip irrigation and rainwater capture. We can integrate renewable energy systems, such as solar arrays, biogas, and small-scale hydropower, so that food is produced with less climate impact. And we can produce a variety of nutritious food that supports public health while nurturing local ecosystems through biodiversity and permaculture forest cover.
Read more about how the FEW nexus supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals:
UN Facts on the FEW nexus
Applications Open: UMD Global STEWARDS Graduate Fellowship
We are accepting applications for the 2026 cohort of the UMD Global STEWARDS (STEM Training at the Nexus of Energy, WAter Reuse, and FooD Systems) graduate training fellowship!
8-10 Global STEWARDS Fellows will be accepted to the 2026 cohort and receive a $2,500 summer stipend.
Applications are due by October 31st, 2025, and the cohort will begin in January 2026. Applicants must be currently enrolled or accepted into an MS/PhD program at the University of Maryland College Park.
Details and Application
Agrivoltaics and Public Perception
These sheep seem happy grazing in the shade of solar panels. But what do farmers, solar developers, regulators, and community leaders think of this emerging technology?
Global FEWture Alliance member Dr. Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman has recently published a team paper resulting from a stakeholder workshop in Arizona on perceptions and hurdles to adopting agrivoltaics. The paper holds encouraging results for small, farmer-owned PV systems that enhance nutritious food access and education for host communities.
Dr. Pavao-Zuckerman and his team have also advised Montgomery County, Maryland about social perceptions of agrivoltaic adoption as farmers look to more sustainable, affordable, and systems-based solutions to enhance productivity and profits.
Energy Research & Social Science
New Research: Water Quality in Nepal
Nepal is facing critical water quality challenges due to urbanization, water management and governance issues, as well as natural disasters. This instability has resulted in the presence of harmful contaminants (e.g., pathogens, nitrates, arsenic) across multiple water sources, subsequently leading to waterborne disease risks (e.g., cholera and typhoid).
Our researchers systematically reviewed 140 research papers on water contaminants in Nepal. The studies encompassed a variety of methodological designs, with the majority focusing on water sources in the Bagmati province. Bacteria and arsenic emerged as the most prevalent contaminants. Diseases such as arsenicosis and typhoid remain widespread and may be linked to contaminated water sources. Their findings underscore the urgent need for effective surveillance systems and a robust regulatory framework to promptly respond to water contamination events in Nepal.
Environmental Research and Public Health
Meet our International Summer Interns
We have supported two groups of interns for 2025:
Our summer interns from Nepal are eight motivated students from Kathmandu University. These students are working on essential technologies for safe irrigation, precision farming, and soil amendments to make crops more productive.
Our summer interns from several USA-based universities are ten innovative undergraduates working on topics including waste-to-energy systems, managing sewer overflows, weather prediction using machine learning, safe irrigation of leafy greens, and drinking water microbial and chemical analysis.
Our USA-based interns presented their summer projects on Wednesday, August 6th.
See the full video presentation here.
Summer Interns
Biochar Innovation
At Sanskriti Farms and Research Centre in Nepal, the team is investigating wood-derived biochar as a soil supplement and carbon sink.
Biochar is a carbon-rich material produced by heating organic waste in a low-oxygen environment. It offers many agricultural benefits: enhanced soil fertility, improved water retention, and higher nutrient availability. Biochar also serves as a climate change mitigation tool by sequestering carbon in the soil, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
These benefits make biochar a powerful solution for promoting sustainable agriculture and building climate resilience.
Sanskriti Biochar
Check out a selection of photos from our Second Annual Symposium, which was held April 23-24, 2025 in the Stamp Union at UMD.
Full session videos are available on our Symposium Page.
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