Water–energy–food nexus: Adaptive response to regional Hindu Kush Himalayan challenges
Background
This online course provides participants with conceptual understanding and applied knowledge on water, energy, and food systems, with an emphasis on development in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. Drawing on the experience of the instructor Prof. Christopher Scott (Director of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona, USA; and ICIMOD Mountain Chair 2020–22) and globally recognized experts, the interactive course will showcase new insights into the water–energy–food nexus.
Programme focus
The seminar will address the following list of topics:
- Energy futures to meet agricultural and urban water demand
- Water resource needs for power generation using conventional fuels and renewables
- Implications and role of water and agriculture in the emerging carbon-neutral economy
- Comparative energy- and water-based perspectives on efficiency and conservation, and co-production of research and policy making on water, energy, and food
Thus, seminar participants will learn about physical and social science approaches to water management and policy.
Who is this course for?
The course is most suitable for the following audiences. However, if you don’t fit into any of the following categories but still feel you too can benefit from the course, please do apply and we will consider your application.
- Advanced graduate students (Master's or PhD) and faculty members from HUC universities
- Mid-career government officials of water, irrigation, energy, electricity, food and agriculture departments, as well as regulatory bodies
- Mid-career level staff of NGOs, INGOs, development agencies
- Scientific attachés of relevant embassies and foreign ministries
- Mid-career researchers and officers from research/consulting companies working on water-energy-food nexus related themes.
Programme schedule
The following is a list of provisional topics and speakers. All sessions will be held on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 10:00–11:00 am Nepal Standard Time (UTC+05:45).
| Date | Programme |
| 19 May 2020 10:00–11:00 | Welcome, course overview, water–energy–food nexus concept and applications – Christopher Scott, University of Arizona, USA Water–energy–food nexus in the Hindu Kush Himalaya – Golam Rasul, ICIMOD, Nepal |
| 21 May 2020 10:00–11:00 | Managing groundwater in the Gangetic Plains requires a water–energy–food nexus approach – Aditi Mukherji, IWMI, India Feedback, Q&A with participants; identification of water–energy–food nexus cases |
| 26 May 2020 10:00–11:00 | Water–energy–food nexus in Africa – Michael Jacobson, Pennsylvania State University, USA River basin development in the Andes – Christopher Scott, University of Arizona, USA |
| 28 May 2020 10:00–11:00 | Water–energy–food nexus in Pakistan – Afreen Siddiqi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA The water-energy-food nexus: A systematic review of methods for nexus assessment (Arica Crootof, Montana Western Univ., USA; and Tamee Albrecht, Univ. Arizona, USA) |
| 2 June 2020 10:00–11:00 | Hydro-energy cooperation in the Bangladesh–Bhutan–India–Nepal region: Prospects for transboundary energy and water security in South Asia – Padmendra Shrestha, University of Arizona, USA, and Udisha Saklani, University of Cambridge, UK Regional connectivity and cross-border energy trade in the BBIN region: Implications for sustainable mountain development – Ramesh Vaidya, ICIMOD, Nepal |
| 4 June 2020 10:00–11:00 | Water-energy-food nexus and the Hindu Kush – Himalaya Monitoring and Assessment Programme – Philippus Wester, ICIMOD, Nepal Course synthesis and closing remarks – Christopher Scott, University of Arizona, USA |
How to register
Please click on the ‘ENROLL’ button on this page to register your interest in the course and let us know about your motivation to join the course. If you face any difficulty accessing the form, please write to huc@icimod.org mentioning the nature of the problem. We will reach out only to shortlisted and selected participants through email with further instructions to join the course. Please note that enrolling into the course would require your commitment to attend at least 4 sessions from the schedule. Participants attending all 6 sessions will be eligible to receive a digital certificate.
Organizer
The event is being organized by HUC in partnership with Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona.
HUC – an initiative under ICIMOD’s Regional Programme on Mountain Knowledge and Action Networks (MKAN) – has a mandate to develop an effective, sustainable network of universities in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region in collaboration with academic, research, and knowledge-generating and exchange institutions both within and outside the HKH region. HUC currently consists of 76 full members from eight HKH countries and 17 associate members from other parts of the world.
The registration for this event is now closed.
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