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The demand for water, food, and energy is rising and influencing each other. The High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition’s conceptual framework shows that water, energy, and food sectors are within one system and interact with each other. Agricultural plants need water to grow, energy systems require water to operate, while water supply systems, including pumping and distribution, prerequisite energy to sustain. People drink, cook, and clean up with water. Water also influences the quality of ecosystem services.

Human activities and climate change play a significant  role in putting the three under threat. The Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas data shows that half of the global population faces high water stress at least one month a year, while the impacted population may rise to around five billion people by 2050. Analysis from Aqueduct Food estimates that the world has to produce 56% more calories by 2025 as the global population is foreseen to grow from 8 billion to 10 billion by 2050. From the energy sector, The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicted that in Southeast Asia, demand would increase by 60% between 2019 and 2024 with an average increase of electricity demand at 6% per year.

Aqueduct data also reveals that in Indonesia alone, more than half of the population has faced high to extremely high water stress, meaning that more than 40% of the renewable water resources have been used to fulfill demand from various sectors such as agriculture, industry, and domestic. This situation might lead to a higher risk of power blackouts, lower food production, and reduced function of ecosystem services such as erosion control, climate resilience, flood mitigation, carbon storage, water purification, disease prevention, and many more. 

Rural population is more prone to those risks as they have limited access to water  compared to urban populations. To minimize the occurrence risk of power blackouts and lack of food production, the community should be able to ensure their water access. The success stories below demonstrate the possibility of integrated management of water, energy, and food by local communities in Nusa Tenggara. 

Success stories from rural Nusa Tenggara 

As one of Indonesia’s driest regions, East Nusa Tenggara experiences between 69 and 144 days of drought annually, according to a report by the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics. Mengalir.co, a platform that integrates participatory reports from East Nusa Tenggara residents, local governments, and stakeholders on water access, highlights the opportunity to improve proper water access for 150,650 families in 538 villages. 

For years, over 90% of remote communities in NTT who work as rainfed farmers in remote areas of East Nusa Tenggara relied on unpredictable rainfall, making food production uncertain. However, as the region is gifted with abundant solar energy, community-led solar powered pump programs  have changed this reality in Umutnana and Bisesmus villages, creating sustainable water, energy, and food cycles.

Seven years ago, Umutnana Village faced severe water scarcity. The 196 households in the village had access to only 80-100 liters of water per day—only enough to meet the daily needs of a single person by standard measures. Villagers walked 2-3 hours each day to collect this limited supply, which was used sparingly for cooking and basic sanitation. Under these conditions, farming was nearly impossible during the dry season.

Everything changed in 2018 when a solar-powered water pump was installed. The community actively participated in every stage, from designing and implementing the system to monitoring and maintenance, fostering a strong sense of ownership. Now, villagers can access water from public faucets within 3 minutes from their homes, with a supply of on average 44,000 Liters per day, enough for the entire community.

For Mama Yohanna, a single mother from Umutnana, this was life-changing: She now grows chili, water spinach, cabbage, peanuts, and corn right in her front yard and no longer relies on expensive market products. Beyond feeding her family,  she sells vegetables at the market, earning money to send her children to university in Malang. She’s not alone—many in Umutnana have embraced backyard farming. Once dry and barren, the village is now filled with thriving greeneries.

“Since water is accessible, I can grow vegetables in front of my house and feed my family every day. I even sell vegetables to the market and use the money to send my children to university in Malang.” - Mama Yohanna, Umutnana Village. 

Mama Yohanna

A similar transformation is unfolding in Bisesmus Village. Water scarcity once made farming and fishing impossible but with the introduction of solar-powered water pumps, villagers can now grow vegetables year-round to improve food security, develop fishponds, mainly for catfish, as a local protein source, and achieve food independence,  no longer bound by seasonal harvests to prepare their meals. 

The villagers of Umutnana and Bisesmus give real-life examples of how integrating water, energy, and food creates lasting impact. The communities not only survive, but they also thrive by enhancing their own food security through an environmentally-friendly way.

A holistic approach to water, food, and energy: an emerging global and local policy norm

The integration of water, food, and energy systems is rapidly becoming the new standard in natural resource management. The concept gained global recognition in 2011 when the Bonn Conference formally introduced the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus. Since then, major international development organizations—including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank, UN Water, the Stockholm Environment Institute, Future Earth, the European Commission, and the Asian Development Bank—have adopted this approach, recognizing the interconnectedness of these essential sectors.

Water, energy, and food are deeply linked, yet their simultaneous demand often creates complex management challenges. A cross-sectoral approach ensures synergy, minimizes trade-offs, and promotes more sustainable resource use.

More recently, Indonesia is explicitly shifting its policies toward the WEF nexus. The 2025-2029 National Mid-Term Plan (RPJMN) prioritizes food, energy, and water sovereignty as key to achieving a green and blue economy. This shift will require municipalities and villages to align their strategies, encouraging local communities to adopt more sustainable practices.

The reality on the ground such as in Nusa Tenggara Timur proves that embracing the nexus by local people is possible and it can increase optimism for Indonesia to implement WEF policy at scale.