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
Register Today: Our Coursera MOOC
Our Global FEWture: Cultivating Food-Energy-Water Solutions is our new Coursera offering.
Through four accessible modules, our global team of experts teaches the systems dynamics, local challenges, and global solutions to providing food, energy, and water amid a changing climate.
The course will be of interest to farmers, community organizers, public health scientists, agricultural scientists, environmental engineers, and students across disciplines. Please join us by enrolling in the first module for free!
Coursera MOOC
Dr. Leena Malayil Shares New Research on Water Quality in Nepal
In an interview with the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Dr. Malayil shed light on their new scoping review. Here's an excerpt:
"We highlighted some of the critical gaps and inconsistencies that we came across when we looked at the water quality monitoring within Nepal, especially when you look in terms of the rural and urban areas. By bringing together evidence on both chemical and the microbial contaminants, the study underscores that there's an urgent need for more systematic region-specific surveillance and better infrastructure to ensure safe drinking and irrigation water.
From a theoretical perspective, the research strengthens the understanding that water quality cannot be separated from broader environmental and public health systems. It reinforces the idea that addressing water safety requires an integrated approach, one that considers agricultural practices, sanitation, land use, and policy frameworks."
Dr. Malayil's Interview
Biodigesters and Public Health in Nepal
Anaerobic biodigesters are a source of renewable energy from animal waste, used by households in rural Nepal. However, there is uncertainty about their health effects. Does operating them put caregivers in contact with fecal pathogens, which may spread antibiotic-resistant bacteria to children? Or do biodigesters prevent harmful drug-resistant bacteria from accumulating where children play, since animal waste is frequently collected from the ground?
The UMD Global STEWARDS graduate students developed figures and statistics from Dr. Heather Amato's biodigester study for a presentation she gave to the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre in the Government of Nepal in June 2025. The study demonstrated a key public health risk: the biodigester effluent (outputs) frequently harbor drug-resistant bacteria, posing a risk to those handling the effluent to apply on household crops as fertilizer.
Biodigester Interventions
CultivAid and MUST Plant Campus Farm in Mbeya, Tanzania
In a major upgrade of their growing and teaching capacity, Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST) and CultivAid just collaborated on a 3-day farmer training and vegetable planting bonanza.
CultivAid experts taught farmers about drip irritation, pest management, soil fertility, and increasing yields.
This press photo in Swahili gives a sense of the global reach and local impacts of our work.
Tanzania Projects
UMD Global STEWARDS Graduate Research
Our UMD Global STEWARDS graduate students are innovative researchers in Food-Energy-Water science!
This pair of short videos captures the essence of their research:
The what, how, and why of FEW nexus science. Check it out!
Nick An, Fahmi Dwilaksono, Ujjwol Subedi, Tiberias Okanga
Asangwing Formukong, Gerry Andhikaputra, Rafian Aziz, John Samura, Qingyue Zheng
UMD Global STEWARDS Graduate Research
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