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
Solutions: Solar-Powered Wastewater Treatment
What if we could use solar-powered, small-scale, off-grid technologies to turn sewage into safe water for reuse and farm irrigation? We can, and we do!
Dr. Clive Lipchin's Laguna Wastewater Treatment is a proven technology that boosts community self-sufficiency and public health by intervening where wastewater meets the natural environment. By safely cleaning wastewater using biotic and abiotic media, the Laguna System closes the loop between waste and wealth.
The Laguna unit in the picture is now shipping from Israel to Nepal, where it will serve a secondary school and support better sanitation and water sufficiency in the Namobuddha Province.
Laguna Innovation
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
Extraordinary Advances in Grape Production
Our partners in Tanzania, CultivAid, have just published their 2025 report on progress in Unlocking the Grape Value Chain. This energetic, innovative team has achieved great advances in just a few years, including:
- 500+ farmers trained across 10 sites
- 65-175% increase in revenue for farmers
- 65-120% grape yield increase
- Grape quality improvement to 22-24 Brix, meeting winery standards
- Nursery space to provide 10,000 grape vine cuttings annually
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
Follow the Global FEWture Alliance
Keep up with our activities and opportunities with a subscribe, follow, and like.
Facebook
Israel FEWture
Israel Research and Capacity Building
Maryland FEWture
Maryland Research and Capacity Building
Nepal FEWture
Nepal Research and Capacity Building
Tanzania FEWture
Tanzania Research and Capacity Building
Experiential Education
Project-based Learning Opportunities
Community-Driven Capacity Building
Inclusive, Holistic Approaches