Water, energy and food are inextricably linked. Therefore, a measure which affects one of these areas will inevitably have an impact on one or both of the remaining two.
The water-energy-food nexus has become a familiar a concept, on which numerous important studies and analyses gave become available, especially in the last five to ten years. Some of the most relevant papers were produced by important associations and institutions, such as the World Energy Council (WEC), the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and, of course, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Most of these studies focus on the development of emerging economies and address the vulnerable populations typically located in African states. For this reason, such papers are often ignored in the usual literature of the energy industry. This is an unfortunate shortcoming.
This analysis neither addresses the agricultural aspect of the irrigation systems, nor does it attempt to dispute issues related to crop types, seasonality of cultures etc. However, from an energy standpoint, irrigations pose lots of interesting challenges. In Romania, most specialists admit that irrigations can bolster the energy industry and provide additional work for marginal energy producers, with measurable advantages to the economy as a whole. I only agree with the second part of the statement.