Toolkits / Software

The Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem (WEFE) nexus approach represents a holistic and interconnected perspective for addressing the complex interdependencies among water, energy, food, and ecosystems. This integrated perspective highlights the importance of managing WEFE resources collaboratively to achieve social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The ‘Nexus Capacity Scorecard (NCS) – Education and Research’ is intended to gauge capacities to adopt a WEFE nexus approach within and/or across academic institutions conducting research in or teaching courses related to the water, energy, food/agriculture, and environmental sectors (henceforth referred to as ‘WEFE academic institutions’). The purpose is to identify opportunities, possible gaps, and inform the planning of tailored WEFE nexus courses and research, and/or their monitoring over time. This version of the scorecard is part of a toolkit that includes the original Nexus Capacity Scorecard (NCS), which supports the self-assessment of nexus capacities within and/or across WEFE institutions or organizations in government, the private sector, or civil society.

The Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem (WEFE) nexus approach represents a holistic and interconnected perspective for addressing the complex interdependencies among water, energy, food, and ecosystems. This integrated perspective highlights the importance of managing WEFE resources collaboratively to achieve social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The Nexus Capacity Scorecard (NCS) is part of a toolkit developed to gauge capacities to adopt a WEFE nexus approach within and/or across institutions working in the water, energy, food/agriculture, and environmental sectors (henceforth referred to as ‘WEFE institutions’). The NCS supports the self-assessment of institutional processes, readiness, and capacities in relation to WEFE approaches. The purpose is to identify opportunities, possible gaps, and inform the planning of tailored WEFE nexus capacity-building efforts, programs and interventions, and/or their monitoring over time. The scorecard can also be used as a launchpad for discussions, within and across organizations and sectors, for improving WEFE nexus practice and collaboration.

People living in arid areas often experience highly variable rainfall, droughts, floods and have insecure livelihoods. Small multi-purpose reservoirs are a widely used form of infrastructure for the provision of water. They supply water for domestic use, livestock watering, small scale irrigation, and other beneficial uses. Although clusters of reservoirs store significant quantities of water and effect on downstream flows, they have rarely been considered as systems, with synergies and tradeoffs resulting from their numbers and their density. Often reservoirs were constructed in a series of projects funded by different agencies, at different times, with little or no coordination among the implementing partners. That a significant number are functioning sub-optimally and/or are falling into disrepair indicates that there is room for improvement in the planning, management, operation, and maintenance of small reservoirs. This first version of the Small Reservoirs Toolkit was produced by the Small Reservoirs Project. It is a project of the Challenge Program for Water and Food, sponsored by the German Technical Cooperation (Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit, GTZ), led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) with six partners: Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria (Embrapa), L’Institute de recherch pour le development (IRD), Stockholm Environment Institution (SEI), Delft University of Technology (TUD), University of Zimbabwe (UZ), Ghana Water Research Institution (WRI). In 2005 the project began with two paired objectives. The basin/watershed level objective is to promote and support the planning, development, and management of small reservoir ensembles. The local/community level objective is to support use of small multi-purpose reservoirs that are properly located, well designed, well maintained and operated to improve the livelihoods of the local residents. A multi-disciplinary team was assembled to develop a set of tools based on socio-economic and biophysical research. The hydrologic, economic, ecological, health, and institutional dimensions of small reservoirs were considered. By harmonizing the interests of individuals served by small multi-purpose reservoirs and other people living in the basin we will come closer to our paired goals: 1) to maintain water related ecosystem services, the long-term sustainability of local water supplies, and adequate downstream flows as we make use of small reservoirs and 2) to improve food security and increase sustainable livelihoods through the use of those small multi-purpose reservoirs. There are approximately 30 tools and techniques presented in four topic areas: i) Intervention Planning; ii) Storage and Hydrology; iii) Ecosystems and Health; iv) Institutions and Economics. This tool kit is intended for the use of NGOs, research institutes, universities, donor agencies, multilateral organizations, and government agencies. These tools are not meant to replace other methods o