Water Security and Nutrition: Current Knowledge and Research Opportunities

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Nutritional Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Water is essential for physiological needs and critical for nutrition-related behaviors like food production and preparation.
• Growing challenges like climate change and pollution threaten water availability and safety, impacting global nutrition targets.
• Current approaches often overlook the interconnectedness of water security and nutritional outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence on the linkages between water security and nutrition.
• To identify knowledge gaps in understanding the water-nutrition nexus.
• To propose a research agenda for advancing the study of water security and nutrition.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of empirical and qualitative evidence.
• Analysis of primary linkages between water security and nutrition.
• Identification of research gaps and future directions.

Main Results:

• Water security directly impacts drinking, food production, food preparation, infant feeding, and exposure to toxins.
• Significant knowledge gaps exist in quantifying the concurrent stability and accessibility of both food and water.
• The water-nutrition nexus is complex, involving multiple pathways and requiring interdisciplinary approaches.

Conclusions:

• Explicitly connecting water security and nutritional well-being is essential for achieving global nutrition goals.
• Interdisciplinary policies and programs addressing the water-nutrition nexus are more effective than isolated approaches.
• Collaboration between nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors is critical for ensuring equitable access to healthy food and safe water.