The water-energy-food nexus in Canada: a review

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is an approach for understanding interactions between the three resources to address complex sustainability and development challenges. While WEF nexus studies have been conducted globally, Canada provides a unique context as one of the most water-rich countries in the world. Yet, there has been limited literature studying the WEF nexus within Canada. Therefore, this study conducts a systematic literature review, using the PRISMA approach, to investigate the landscape of WEF nexus research in Canada. The literature review finds that the studies mostly use quantitative methods of inquiry, mostly focus on national and provincial spatial scales over more local scales, and mostly focus on the WEF nexus as an analytical tool to measure physical resource flows between the resources rather than on policy or governance considerations. Based on these findings, there are four recommendations for future research on the WEF nexus in Canada: (1) more nexus research should be conducted at the local level, (2) more social science and qualitative approaches should be applied in WEF nexus studies, (3) WEF nexus research should investigate resource governance questions, and (4) WEF nexus research should integrated related areas such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and Indigenous sovereignty.