Sustainability of Intensive Agri-Food Systems: A Socio-Economic and WEF Nexus Perspective from Southeast Spain

Evaluations of sustainability in general, and agriculture in particular, are garnering increasing attention in the literature. Measuring sustainability is clearly a matter of assessing various attributes involving numerous variables. The present study utilizes the novel Socio-Economic and Water–Energy–Food (SEWEF) Nexus framework, which allows evaluation of the sustainability of agri-food systems from a holistic perspective. The method used herein is based on the calculation of water and energy footprints, along with other key socio-economic indicators, which are adapted to the conditions of the area analyzed. Southeast Spain has developed a type of agriculture, the characteristics of which make it unique. This region practices horticultural greenhouse farming fed by an advanced water capture/usage system, employing a combination of various techniques (e.g., drip irrigation, enarenado topsoil-method using a surface sand layer to trap moisture-, hydroponic systems, small water reservoirs and computer monitoring) that allowed it to achieve a level of efficiency recognized worldwide. The case under study is a clear example of the practical utility of the “Water–Energy–Food Nexus” concept as a tool to evaluate the sustainability of a given system. Not only do the results reveal that elevated water consumption is associated with high production yields, but also with low impacts in terms of energy use and high indices of socio-economic sustainability. The study concludes that efficiency levels are very high at both physical and monetary levels, justifying the sustained implementation of this agricultural production system. Although the case study focuses on a particular area and sector, the SEWEF framework is generic and applicable across different regions and products.