Short description of the session

The intricate inter-linkage of water and soil resources requires an integrated – thus a nexus approach for sustainable management. Also to be considered in such a nexus approach is waste, in particular for maintaining and improving soil fertility (organic matter, nutrients), ultimately enhancing food and water security, but also securing other essential ecosystem services and biodiversity. This is particularly true given the need to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. Various technologies, policies, and management practices that aim to increase resilience and ensure food and water security (for example climate smart agriculture, conservation agriculture, IWRM, etc.) have been identified and comprehensive guidelines and best-practice examples are available. Still, loss of fertile soils and overexploitation of water resources continues to be a threat in many developing countries. Therefore, the issue of effectiveness of measures and/or of insufficient implementation and exploring what are the barriers to implementation and how can synergies of a nexus approach be unlocked, require special attention.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

The session aims to provide an update on current approaches to integrated resources management and climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. By providing examples from diverse regions and perspectives (water/soil/waste as well as science/implementation) it is intended to derive some general conclusions on what is needed to apply and adopt climate-adapted resource-use at scale, i.e. moving from pilot studies to large-scale implementation.

Target group

Decision makers and stakeholders from NGOs, farmer´s associations, water managers, academia etc. dealing with sustainable management of water, soil and waste and its implementation.

Short description of the session

As the evidence of climate change grows, public and private actors increasingly recognize that – even when mitigation efforts prove to be successful – adaptation measures are needed. While the projected impacts and effects of climate change differ from region to region and from sector to sector, early and integrated actions are expected to be beneficial in any case. To actually implement such actions can be challenging as it requires coordinated efforts of various actors. This session invites contributions that address the governance trade-offs and challenges that arise when adapting to climate in practice. We particularly invite studies that compare empirical evidence of diverse regions and/or sectors.

Key questions to be addressed include: What aspects and which actors should be included when adapting to climate change? How to achieve productive interactions between a wide range of actors (including international and supranational organizations, national, regional and local government authorities, businesses and non-governmental organizations) and sectors (e.g. water, agriculture, environment and energy)? How to develop strong, but flexible and integrative governance structures that can support climate adaptation? What can diverse regions and sectors learn from each other regarding the governance of climate adaptation?

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

This session’s objective is to develop a better understanding of the governance challenges that are associated with climate adaptation in various contexts. By comparing the experiences of diverse regions and sectors, we aim to reach an insightful overview of the governance challenges that are associated with climate adaptation and to generate insights into the governance of climate adaptation.

Target group

Researchers, practitioners and policy makers who have an interest in the governance of climate change.

Short description of the session

Climate adaptation is increasingly on the agenda of national governments, supranational institutions, international organizations and multi-nationals. The consequences of climate change are, however, ultimately experienced at the regional and the local level. As consequences will differ based on the specific context of the locality, contextually appropriate adaptation actions at the regional and the local level should be encouraged. This session focuses on the different experiences and theories regarding climate adaptation at the level of and in collaboration with local communities and stakeholders, whilst recognizing the role of community-specific circumstances. Key questions that we would like to focus on are: Who are the key stakeholders at the local and the regional level? To what extent are these stakeholders aware of climate change and what do they know? How to improve local knowledge and awareness on climate change? How to best integrate the interests, perspectives and knowledge of local and regional stakeholders in adaptation processes? In addition, we look forward reflecting upon the following questions about multi-level governance and policy transfer: How to best align and connect local and regional perspectives and knowledge with governance processes at the higher level? To what extent would the studied approach or solution to adaptation be transferable to other localities?

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

This session focuses on climate adaptation at the local and the regional level. By reflecting on the features of the diverse knowledge and perspectives of these stakeholders and on experiences with stakeholder involvement and community-based approaches, this session aims at developing a better understanding of stakeholder processes and interactions in climate adaptation processes. How these processes align and interact with governance processes taking place at other levels is also a relevant aspect that will be highlighted during the session.

Target group

Researchers, practitioners and policy makers who are interested and/or involved in climate adaptation at the local or the regional level.

Short description of the session

The session asks for contributions on the proper climate information helping to manage water, soil and waste with special emphasis on the nexus of the three resources. Climate and climate change are often treated by global or large scale numbers but for impact assessment regional scale and relevant statistics including extremes are needed. Therefore, we will address the following aspects with relevance for the nexus: (i) availability of climate information from station data and remote sensing, (ii) modelling approaches to improve today’s climate data, (iii) regional climate modelling and evaluation tools, (iv) climate change information from model output at regional scale including variability and extremes, and (v) examples of the use of climate information for the management of the nexus of water, soil and waste.

As the three resources are coupled, a joint and NEXUS specific treatment is necessary also for the required climate information. Extreme events might trigger long-lasting consequences of meteorological events, like heavy rain causing erosion or leakage of a landfill. Droughts from lack of rainfall might reduce vegetation cover permanently, with consequences for the quality of the soil and groundwater status. Such nexus issues should be addressed from a need for climate information point of view.

Short description of the session

Industrial growth is needed in developing and emerging economies to alleviate poverty, deliver goods and services, create jobs, and raise living standards. However industries are also large-scale emitters of greenhouse gasses, toxic wastes, and leading consumers of energy, water and raw materials. Therefore the manufacturing sector is of critical importance to achieve a decoupling of economic growth from unsustainable resource use and negative environmental impacts. This session will present experiences in applying a nexus approach in industries and through policies. It will hence raise awareness on the role industries can play in reducing the impact of climate change.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

The objective of this session is to raise awareness on the challenges faced by policy makers and industries in mitigating and adapting to climate change while ensuring economic growth.

While Climate Change challenges are often complex and interlinked, thus the need for nexus approaches, the session will demonstrate case studies and best practices offering solutions for policy makers and practitioners.

Target group

Policy makers, practitioners and researchers who have an interest in climate change mitigation and adaptation by applying resource efficient approaches.

Short description of the session

The advancement of renewable energy is a cornerstone of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and address climate change. This session will explore solutions to climate-related challenges for renewable energies in the developing world. The special roles played by hydropower, biogas, and biofuels will be highlighted, focusing on integrated management strategies to mitigate effects of climate change. Hydropower has a special role among renewable energy sources as a means of energy storage, but a changing climate poses unique challenges to existing and future assets, due to possible water scarcity and flood risk. Biogas has been accepted widely in Europe and North America, but it is yet to transfer to developing countries because of barriers such as a lack of technology, despite high potentials in many regions. Bio-fuels are another source of renewable energy, requiring soil and water resources. Water is needed to grow and process bio-fuels, but also to facilitate energy production from other sources, both renewable and non-renewable. A sustainable solution must thus consider energy in an integrated manner with soil and water management: the nexus approach.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

The session aims at providing an up-to-date overview on sustainable energy solutions under impacts of climate change. Case studies from various regions will show how specific challenges can be addressed from a nexus perspective.

Target group

Academia, practitioners and policy-makers working for integrated solutions for energy, water and food security and climate change resilience/ response.

Short description of the session

Eco-cities are becoming increasingly popular worldwide. Starting from ideas, which were developed in the 1970s and 1980s, more and more cities have established ‘showcases’ of how to foster urban development in a more sustainable way. Eco-cities have moved from a relatively loosely defined concept with only few, mainly experimental pilots to a multitude of concrete practice led initiatives. Whereas until 2000 less than 30 eco-city initiatives were identifiable, their number has skyrocketed since then to almost 200 by now. Between 1990 and 2013, ten Eco-city World Summits have taken place. Eco-cities variously promote integrated concepts towards urban planning and environmentally friendly development, and they may constitute a local basis for the implementation of the UN SDGs. Within the framework of integrated sustainable development, the NEXUS approach plays a crucial role.

Against this background, the session will focus on the following questions:

What relations exist between sustainable urban development and the (water, soil, waste oriented) NEXUS approach?

How is the NEXUS approach reflected in urban planning and development concepts of sustainable cities/eco-cities?

Which challenges exist in implementing the NEXUS approach and how do cities overcome them?

How can cities contribute to implementing the UN SDGs in the future?

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

Guided by these questions and taking eco-cities/sustainable cities as examples, the session has the following objectives:

Contributing to a clearer understanding of the NEXUS approach in relation to urban environmental planning and development,

Demonstrating how the NEXUS approach can be implemented in urban environmental planning and development.

Short description of the session

Eco-cities are becoming increasingly popular worldwide. Starting from ideas, which were developed in the 1970s and 1980s, more and more cities have established ‘showcases’ of how to foster urban development in a more sustainable way. Eco-cities have moved from a relatively loosely defined concept with only few, mainly experimental pilots to a multitude of concrete practice led initiatives. Whereas until 2000 less than 30 eco-city initiatives were identifiable, their number has skyrocketed since then to almost 200 by now. Between 1990 and 2013, ten Eco-city World Summits have taken place. Eco-cities variously promote integrated concepts towards urban planning and environmentally friendly development, and they may constitute a local basis for the implementation of the UN SDGs. Within the framework of integrated sustainable development, the NEXUS approach plays a crucial role.

Against this background, the session will focus on the following questions:

What relations exist between sustainable urban development and the (water, soil, waste oriented) NEXUS approach?

How is the NEXUS approach reflected in urban planning and development concepts of sustainable cities/eco-cities?

Which challenges exist in implementing the NEXUS approach and how do cities overcome them?

How can cities contribute to implementing the UN SDGs in the future?

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

Guided by these questions and taking eco-cities/sustainable cities as examples, the session has the following objectives:

Contributing to a clearer understanding of the NEXUS approach in relation to urban environmental planning and development,

Demonstrating how the NEXUS approach can be implemented in urban environmental planning and development.

Short description of the session

Urban systems are known to be the areas with greatest conflicts on land resources and services requested by a multitude of different actors. Particularly, in densely settled metropolitan areas, requests for a sustainable development and restoration of closer to nature structures and extensively used land are increasing. E.g. urban green systems as expression of a nexus between urban biodiversity, and urban ecosystem services concerning water, soil and built up structures are assigned a crucial role in influencing the quality of life of urban population. A request for socio-culturally and ecologically efficient development and restoration strategies is building common visions and a common value understanding that incorporates knowledge, expectations and experiences of variable stakeholders. The concept of ecosystem services and, additionally, the concept of biodiversity provide a great potential to particularly support development and restoration processes in urban contexts. This can be achieved by raising the awareness about nature’s contribution to human well-being. Also, the concepts provide a base towards the development of more community-based and increasingly participatory governance schemes in urban planning and development.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

With this symposium we intend to explore –based on international case studies– the nexus potentials of the ecosystem services and biodiversity concept in urban planning. Guiding principles will be delivered for a sustainable development of the rural-urban fringe, for the development of greening strategies, and for the restoration of services providing areas in densely settled environments. We will discuss the implications of introducing the ecosystem services and biodiversity concept for typical governance schemes in urban planning and development.

Target group

The session addresses, first of all, the nature conservation and biodiversity policy level which means decision-makers from international high ranked administrations and political institutions. It also focuses on urban local and regional decision makers and practitioners from around the world. Additionally, the science level is addressed as the ecosystem services approach is highly discussed within the landscape ecology, biology, geography and spatial planning scientific community. With this, the session establishes a science policy interface, thus also a kind of science-policy nexus.

Short description of the session

One of the major challenges of the 21st century is to provide safe drinking water and basic sanitation for all. As the world’s population has become predominantly urban, meeting the growing demand for good quality water for the increasing urban populations is a serious concern for cities around the world. Due to rapid population growth and urbanization, an increasing number of cities are facing acute water problems both in terms of quantity and quality, as well as in coping with impacts of more frequent floods and droughts. Urban water problems are multiple and complex, such as the lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation, poor wastewater management, the need for expanding and upgrading water supply and sewerage infrastructure, pollution of urban water resources and aquatic ecosystems, and inadequate capacity of urban water systems to adapt to climate change impacts. Integrated urban water management (IUWM) aims to incorporate all these components of water management in urban areas into an integrated system, taking into consideration hydrological, environmental, socioeconomic and institutional aspects of water resources management. Consequently, the IUWM provides the opportunity to optimize the whole urban water system and to minimize water consumption, costs and energy. However, a much deeper understanding of the interfaces and interconnections between the different resources streams in cities is required to improve IUWM. In particular the water–waste–energy nexus in urban areas will be a key for sustainable management of water and other resources in cities.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

The session focuses on the nexus approach to improve urban water management, with particular emphasis on the water-waste-energy nexus.

The session discussions will explore the following questions:

• How to optimize integrated urban water management through the water-waste-energy nexus approach?

• What are concrete examples of integrated resources management such as water, waste and energy in an urban context?

• How to “integrate” the different aspects of resources management in urban areas in a holistic framework?

The session will include discussions on the conceptual framework as well as presentations on concrete case-studies (carried out by TU Dresden and other research institutions). The session will also aim to draw key messages and recommendations for sustainable and more effective use of water and other resources in urban areas by optimizing the resources’ use through the nexus approach.

Short description of the session

Population growth and urbanization are major global trends which will have great impacts on available resources. Between 2011 and 2050, the world population is expected to increase from 7.0 to 9.3 billion, while at the same time, the population living in urban areas is projected to grow from 3.6 billion (51%) in 2011 to 6.3 billion (67%) in 2050. Most of the population growth expected in urban areas will be concentrated in the cities and towns of the less developed regions (UN 2012). While the urban population is said to double, urban land consumption is projected to triple: urban growth is mainly to take place in peri-urban and surrounding rural areas of today’s secondary and tertiary cities.

Urbanization and globalization intensify the linkage between cities and their surrounding areas – in this so called “Urban Century”. Rapid urban growth is accompanied by a dramatic rise in the exploitation of land and resources. Rural areas depend on urban markets for income, while cities rely on agriculture for their food supply. The efficient, cross-sectoral resource management of peri-urban areas is hence, a direct contribution to sustainable urban development processes.  The supply of these growing urban areas with water, energy and food, as well as the management of the waste they produce will lead to great challenges. Yet, this concentration of population in urban areas also provides large potentials and opportunities to improve resource efficiency, reuse, and recycling.

To solve resource challenges associated with urbanization through the nexus approach, the institutionalization of nexus thinking is indispensable, and requires supportive frameworks from the national level to the municipalities, greater awareness and strong, interconnected institutions. This is by no means a small task and requires, besides technical solutions and the transfer of smart technologies, the capacity of various stakeholders and actors from diverse sectors and governance levels to move away from isolated approaches and sectoral thinking towards more horizontally and vertically integrated concepts of resource management. The session highlights the importance of integrated Nexus approaches in dealing with rural-urban linkages in the context of metropolitan regions. The panel includes inputs from different perspectives, providing findings and experiences of how to incorporate the different Nexus concepts in a peri-urban governance setting, thereby drawing conclusions from the local level to inspire the Global / Post-2015-Agenda.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

Based upon the evaluation of implemented pilot experiences in developing and emerging countries the expected outcomes of the session are as follows:

– Guidance Evidence on how the NEXUS approach contributes to sustainably governing urbanization

– Discussion on how to bridge the urban rural divide

– Discussion of potentials and opportunities in cities to improve resource efficiency, reuse, and recycling

– Discussion of capacity needs to institutionalize integrated resource management and the nexus thinking

– Insights into the contribution of cities and metropolitan areas towards contributing to the global development agenda achieving the potential targets of the post-2015-agenda

– Evidence on a NEXUS approach contributing to the resource-efficient, healthy and sustainable development of metropolitan regions.

Target group

– researchers

– policy-makers

– national/local government representatives

– urban planners, service providers, utility managers

– water and waste management practitioners

– other stakeholders (agriculture and energy sectors)

Short description of the session

Data plays a critical role as a basis for evidence based decision-making. Yet availability of reliable data is a serious concern in developing countries. For management of environmental resources such as water that are characterized by both flow and stock, the availability of point and non-point data is crucial. The inability to collect and analyze continuous data covering differing temporal scales (day, month, year), dis-aggregated by users and potentially with multiple uses can result in fragmented decision-making processes.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

1) The objective of this session is to discuss some of the reasons for fragmented decision-making and their implications for design, implementation and evaluation of research projects.

2) Recapture the state of accessibility to reliable and meaningful data in developing countries

2) Identify the actions to solve the existing problems related to data availability and accessibility so that nexus approach to resource management can be promoted in decision-making.

3) Developing approaches for nexus monitoring in the post 2015 development agenda.

4) Identify key models for building capacity and engaging member states

Target group

– researchers

– policy-makers

– urban planners

– water and waste management practitioners

– other stakeholders (agriculture and energy sectors)

Short description of the session

There are numerous data sets available worldwide on different aspects of environmental resources (examples include forest cover, rainfall or soil erosion rates). From academic sources there are a number of data sets available that can potentially define principles that promote integrated management of environmental resources. The serious problem is not the lack of data itself but the inability of the research process to provide a context to results of field trials and controlled experiments. This challenge lies at the heart of the science-policy divide; fragmented decision- making processes in developing countries is less a result of poor science and more a result of a poor understanding of the policy process. Therefore for us to understand the basis for robust regimes for management of environmental resources a substantive understanding of the services that are provided by stewardship of forests, water or soil resources is essential.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

Session objectives and expected outcomes:

This session will bring together members of the Africa regional consortium on drought risk monitoring and Asian partners to share tentative results of the nexus observatory network. The discussion will attempt to identify links between resources, services and risks covering irrigation, water supply and livestock sectors.

Expected Outcomes include:

1. Feedback on commissioned studies on the water- soil nexus in Africa

2. Engagement of policy makers involved in discussions on a post- 2015 monitoring framework- indicators, tools, approaches

3. Feedback on conceptualization of proposed Asia nexus observatory network on water- wastewater nexus

4. Developing approaches for nexus monitoring in the post 2015 development agenda

5. Identify key models for building capacity and engaging member states

Target group

– researchers

– policy-makers

– urban planners

– water and waste management practitioners

– other stakeholders (agriculture and energy sectors)

Short description of the session

Soil functions and services play a decisive role in the interplay between food supply, biodiversity maintenance and environmental health. They include provisioning functions for food and biomass production, raw material, physical and cultural environment for humankind, supporting functions for storing, filtering, transformation, recycling, habitat and gene pool, and cultural functions as archeological sites and cultural identity. Yet, the interactions between soil functions, their spatio-temporal patterns and their impacts on SDGs are not well explored. There is a principle understanding about how soil management affects soil functions, but the next causal step about how exactly soil functions affect SDGs where and when is not understood, not monitored and not assessed. It requires a fully interdisciplinary analytical design integrating soil scientific with social and economic approaches. Suitable indicators need to be identified in order to transfer the complexity of the underlying processes into a format that can be monitored and assessed. Proper and accessible information about the interactions between soil management, soil functions and soil services on SDGs is a prerequisite for Integrated management of environmental resources.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

The objective of the session is to discuss information requirements and research needs for exploring causal linkages between soil functions, soil services and SDGs, the underlying processes, regional patterns and spillovers. The outcome will be a first attempt to define research questions and to identify indicators, monitoring and data needs for assessing soil function – SDG interrelations. Focus will be on questions that integrate soil science and socio-economic sciences.

Short description of the session

The removal of fertile, clay-containing topsoil horizons for brick production is an increasingly serious threat to soil quality/fertility, irrigation water availability, and thus, food security and livelihoods in densely populated and rapidly urbanizing South and Southeast Asia. Topsoil removal is a destructive practice where farmer’s short-term gain stands against the degradation of soil and related ecosystem services, a virtually non-renewable resource of our planet. Next to the impact on soil resources, soil removal impairs irrigation water uses and allocation. Further, high amounts of biomass (mainly firewood and rice straw) are used in brick kilns polluting air and emitting greenhouses gases (GHG).

As demand for locally produced, affordable construction material such as for clay is increasing in developing and emerging countries with rapid population growth and infrastructure development, it is likely that soil mining will be further extended in the future. Although the problem has been recognized as widespread in South and Southeast Asia and even become an issue in the media, focused reports, or programs are missing except of a few clean development mechanism (CDM) of the UNFCCC e.g. in Bangladesh (CDM Project 5125) which only tackle one particular part – the GHG emissions – of the whole problem.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

By bringing together experts, the proposed session will advance our knowledge of the impact of brick production on the social-ecological system in place (e.g. soil, water, GHG emissions, socio-economic structures, regulations) as well as investigate possible solutions such as the replacement of clay by alternative more sustainable materials such as waste (e.g. fly ash and slags) for brick production. Furthermore, we expect that the session will raise awareness for the emerging problems associated with brick production from topsoil considering soil, water, climate as well as socio-economic consequences in the context of urban and industrial development as a driver for resource degradation. The long-term goal is to deliver science based recommendations to avoid further degradation of soil resources by considering options for action and intervention at different (field to international) scales. Further, it should be a forum for the discussion of possible approaches to achieve a land-degradation neutral world as an international sustainability goal.

Target group

Scientists and decision makers especially but not exclusively of developing countries as well as individuals and institutions involved in SDG indicator development and monitoring processes

Short description of the session

Clean water is essential for life on Earth. Healthy soil is crucial for natural plant life and food production for the world’s growing population. The interlinkages of these two key elements of the biosphere are through hydrological and geochemical processes that are sometimes altered as a result of human activities (such as inappropriate waste management). . Water quality has become a major concern worldwide due to increasing pollution of surface and groundwater resources especially in developing countries. Soil pollution, agricultural waste runoff, inappropriate solid waste management, reuse of insufficiently or untreated wastewater for irrigation, and open defecation due to lack of sanitation are among the major sources of water pollution. As the world becomes more industrialized, urbanization and lifestyle changes both in developed and developing countries lead to the generation of more solid waste, causing water and soil pollution due to leaching of organic compounds and other pollutants such as heavy metals. In many developing countries, direct dumping of waste into land and water bodies is a common practice. Another major concern for water quality is agricultural waste due to runoff and seepage of nutrient and fertilizers from fields. Soil pollution is also one of growing concerns that we have to deal with, resulting from unsustainable land uses, agriculture activities and inappropriate waste disposal. On the other hand, in developing countries the lack of sanitation and wastewater treatment is also a main source of soil pollution and water pollution by human wastes (excreta).

Hence, to protect water quality it is needed to improve wastewater, waste and soil management in a holistic way based on the nexus approach.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

The session food production. Towards this end, the session discussions will be centered on focuses on the water quality dimension of the water-soil-waste nexus, by exploring ways and approaches to reduce of impacts of inappropriate waste management and land uses on water quality in view of population growth, land use changes and the need for increasing the following questions:

• What are the technological, economical, and policy factors that support a holistic approach to water quality, wastewater and waste management?

• How to protect water quality for ecosystems from negative impacts of inadequate (waste) water, waste and soil management?

• Water quality in agricultural policies: How to integrate water quality issues in agricultural policies in order to develop agricultural practices that have less impact on soil and water pollution?

• Wastewater reuse: What are the main constraints to increase nutrients and water recovery through safe reuse of wastewater for increased food production and agricultural productivity? What are solutions to overcome these constraints?

• Capacity development and risk assessment on water quality in agriculture and safe use of wastewater The session will aim to draw key messages from session presentations and discussions towards developing an integrated, holistic approach to water-soil-waste management in order to minimize negative impacts on the quality of world’s freshwater resources.

Short description of the session

In the light of the global challenges caused by changes in climate and demography and related land-use dynamics the sustainable use and the protection of natural resources are top priorities for sustainable development. Enormous efforts will be necessary to ensure the supply of clean and safe water to the world population and to protect vital terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Major pressures and impacts on water are often driven by food production, energy production, industrial uses and human consumption.

Short description of the session

This session is an invitation for waste management experts, water footprint analysts and really anyone that is interested in a) how to assess the environmental footprint of food losses and waste (FLW), particularly for water, land, climate and biodiversity, and in b) thinking about possible solutions to prevent, reduce, reuse and recycle FLW.

FAO estimates that each year, approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted. This food wastage represents a missed opportunity to improve global food security, but also an unnecessary use of environmental resources. Globally, the blue water footprint (i.e. the consumption of surface and groundwater resources) of food wastage is about 250 km3, which is equivalent to the annual water discharge of the Volga River, or three times the volume of Lake Geneva. Produced but uneaten food vainly occupies almost 1.4 billion hectares of land or close to 30 percent of the world’s agricultural land area. Intensive farming practices, without allowing fields to lie fallow and replenish, contribute to soil degradation and putting unnecessary pressure on soil resources.

In avoiding food wastage, there is actually more that would be gained by its reduction than a mere reduction in its ‘footprint’. Generally, less wastage is associated with more efficiency and eventually more effective recycling of resources and less transport and storage needs across long distances – all leading to savings in natural capital, less resource use and lower GHG emissions.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

The aim of this session is to inform about different ways of assessing the environmental footprint of food losses and waste, particularly for water, land, climate and biodiversity. With this in mind, we will discuss different solutions for preventing and managing FLW. At the end of the session, the speakers will present a joint call for action to examine more closely a) the link between FLW and environmental resources management, and b) the different impacts and ways of dealing with FLW by disadvantaged groups.

Target group

The session – and the call for action – appeals to broad range of actors. Researchers, media, advocacy groups, implementing agencies as well as policy-makers and donors are invited to discuss with us and make suggestions on how to move forward.

Short description of the session

In all urbanizing parts of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there is an increasing demand for soil fertilizers and sufficient water to serve the rapid population growth in the region with sufficient food. A much related challenge of population growth is how to deal with the ever increasing volumes of food waste and wastewater in light of ineffective wastewater management which covers only a small portion of the total wastewater volume generated. Because of the high costs of conventional technical wastewater treatment facilities, only the wealthiest countries can treat most of their wastewater. The largest part of SSA’s wastewater is disposed to water bodies and the environment untreated or with a very low level of treatment. As using wastewater as a resource in food production may overcome some of the challenges farmers face, wastewater is used where available, but even more indirectly where it pollutes other water bodies used in irrigation. This informal irrigation sector along streams and rivers is usually unregulated and unmonitored, and a typical example of the Nexus where water, soil and waste meets. In Ghana, IWMI estimated about 40,000 ha of informal peri-urban irrigation, which is about six times the area supported by Ghana’s 22 public irrigation schemes. Beyond this, however, there are no data on this important sector across SSA which will make it a significant challenge to monitor wastewater reuse, also in light of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Another challenge is the potential health risk associated with the direct and indirect use of wastewater. While authorities see the risks but lack capacity to engage with the informal sector, consumers have little information on the water used to irrigate the food they buy, and farmers see more their benefits while often being unaware of possible risks especially where wastewater is only indirectly used.

This session will focus on formal and informal waste water irrigation on the example of SSA, with specific focus on what options authorities have to address the sector’s challenges and ultimately are able to generate data on its size and help monitoring indicators on the safe and sustainable use of wastewater for irrigation, for example in the context of the proposed SDG goals and targets in the post-2015 development agenda framework.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

Questions to be addressed

1. How to assess the size of the informal and indirect wastewater reuse sector in SSA which is dimensions larger than the one under formal and/or direct reuse?

2. How to support a trajectory from unsafe to safe wastewater use in a situation where conventional wastewater treatment is only a long-term option?

3. How valid are the WHO 2006 Guidelines which were designed for this kind of situation, and are there alternatives?

4. How feasible would it be to set water quality/waste water reuse standards for different reuse options and cropping systems?

5. What are possible indicators for wastewater management and reuse that can be simple used to collect data from various stakeholders, taking into consideration a proposed SDG target on wastewater treatment and reuse?

Expected Outcome

1. Awareness created on an important Nexus example located in the informal sector.

2. Identification of barriers and opportunities for improving safety within the Nexus.

3. Identification of data gaps for assessing the Nexus and options to address them.

Short description of the session

The sustainable provision of natural resources is one of the most challenging responsibilities of land use planning, particularly regarding intra- and intergenerational equity. Here, highly integrative assessment and planning concepts are requested that support building shared knowledge bases and favor landscape scale answers on growing demands in resources rather than micro-scale solutions. The concept of ecosystem services provides an internationally acknowledged boundary concept for building consensus on different value systems and helping to test trade-offs even for prospective requests in natural resources.

There is a broad agreement that the potential of (agricultural) land management practices to contribute to the provision of a multitude of ecosystem services is not well included in spatial planning. Making use of the concept in planning provides an opportunity to better account for the impacts of agricultural management in regional contexts and test trade-offs of scenarios of an increased biomass production. The application of the concept helps to make improved use of knowledge on natural potentials and risks for ecosystem services provision without consuming land. Especially regions with limited capacities to feed growing needs in natural resources provision due to above-average population growth, land scarcity, or otherwise disfavorable environmental conditions would profit from improved knowledge integration.

Objectives and expected outcomes of the session

In the symposium, we aim at contributions that address to potentials of the ecosystem services concept in integrated land use planning towards the application of a nexus approach in land, soil and water management. Based upon case studies, we will discuss implications for actor involvement, organization of the planning process and later decision making. We will revise the readiness of governance schemes, restrictions coming from the data environment, institutional responsibilities and actor related criteria for a successful implementation of the ecosystem services concept in land use planning.

Target group

Scientists and stakeholders involved in spatial planning and regional development