Sustainable Development Opportunities at the Climate, Land, Energy and Water Nexus in Nicaragua

Abstract

There are strong interconnections between the practices needed to sustainably manage land, energy, and water resources, which become even more pronounced when the many implications of climate change are taken into consideration. An exploration of these resource sectors in Nicaragua, a country at high risk from climate change, shows how their linkages directly impact the opportunities for development available to a rapidly growing economy. In particular, these linkages may shape solutions for sustainably managing agriculture,confronting water scarcity, and promoting local energy resources, which together can provide independence from global market volatility. Here we synthesize the state of climate, land,energy, and water issues in Nicaragua and highlight the potential for integrated resource planning in the country. We focus on three ongoing, sustainable development initiatives as case studies: rain-water harvesting in the Pacific Mountain Corridor, community-scale breadfruit processing in the Caribbean Coast region, and national bioenergy production using sugarcane bagasse.