Food Energy Nexus

Food Energy Nexus

This is a unique relationship. We can imagine that it takes energy to provide food. Whether it is fuel for farm equipment, electricity for food processing facilities or the transport, storage, and sale of food, energy is present in the entire life cycle of food production, as it is in nearly all other manufacturing sectors. Food also has additional nuances around energy needs, such as the nexus of water and energy in regard to irrigation. Agriculture consumes approximately 61% of freshwater used in the world, and much of this water use takes energy, such as for irrigation and treatment.

With the advent of biofuels as part of the renewable energy transition, energy and food come together again in a different way. The use of a traditional food source for fuel production is a key debate in regard to corn for ethanol. This competition for corn between the fuel sector and the food sector is one of the more contentious aspects of the food-energy nexus.