The European CisWEFE-NEX project (Circular Systemic Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus CCRI Demonstrator for Regions facing Severe Water Stress), co-funded by the Horizon Europe program and supported by the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI), proposes a circular production system to close the cycles in food, water and nutrient value chains, with a self-sufficient renewable energy system and zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions balance.
This integrated and sustainable circular economy approach, called WEFE-Nexus (Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus), will be tested in five southern European regions, including Andalusia, selected for their climatic and geographic similarities.
CisWEFE-NEX, which has a total budget of €11M, will analyze the interdependence between water, energy and food security and the ecosystems that support such security, while providing valuable scientific information for the development of policies to maintain the integrity and sustainability of ecosystems. From a practical point of view, this will be achieved through the CisWEFE-NEX demonstrator, which will not generate waste and can be monitored and controlled by an artificial intelligence and machine learning system called iSYS.
The project’s objectives also include the creation of a network of key actors and stakeholders to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practices during and at the end of the project, June 2029, and to promote public policies and governance models that include the circular approach in integrated water management.
CisWEFE-NEX is driven by a collaborative consortium of 27 entities (twenty partners and seven associates) from nine countries.
