Identifying critical supply chains: An input-output analysis for Food-Energy-Water Nexus in China

• Published in: Ecological modelling 2019-01, Vol.392, p.31-37
• Main Authors: Xiao, Zhengyan, Yao, Meiqin, Tang, Xiaotong, Sun, Luxi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Food-Energy-Water Nexus; Input-output analysis; Structural chains
• ISSN: 0304-3800; 1872-7026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.11.006

•Take nexus thinking analyze in Chinese economic system.•Use a whole system framework to evaluate linkages between resources and human activities.•Identify resource use in supply chains through input-output structure. As the most populous country over the world, China has great pressure on food and resources security. In this study, we set the national economy of China as a whole system, and apply supply chains analysis based on the input-output structures, to identify the food-water linkage, food-energy linkage, and the energy-water linkage in the system. The results show that agriculture and animal husbandry contribute most use of resource in supply chains. Animal husbandry sector, agriculture, slaughtering and processing of meat contribute large amount of embodied water consumption. While agriculture, other food sector and animal husbandry sector consumes most embodied primary energy, although the direct primary energy use by animal husbandry sector is not significant. Meanwhile, by importing or exporting resources, international trade impacts on the resources flow through input-output structures. When making polices, the interactions of various resources and international trade should be considered by applying food energy water nexus (FEWN) approach.