Spatiotemporal Distribution and the Driving Force of the Food-Energy-Water Nexus Index in Zhangye, Northwest China

For more efficient development planning, food-energy-water (FEW) nexus indicators should be provided with higher spatial and temporal resolutions. This paper takes Zhangye, a typical oasis city in Northwest China's arid region, as an example, and uses the unweighted, geometric mean method to calculate a standardized, quantitative, and transparent estimation of the FEW nexus for each county. The role of influencing factors is also analyzed. The results showed that (1) the coordination of the FEW nexus in each county gradually increased from 2005 to 2015. Spatially, the distribution of the FEW nexus showed a tendency to be higher in the southwestern region and lower in the northeastern region. (2) Food security and water security were weaker than energy security. Specifically, there were more limitations to food accessibility, water availability, and water accessibility than for other indexes. (3) The FEW indexes are positively associated with per capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and negatively correlated with the average evaporation and altitude of each county (district). Decision makers should concentrate on combining industrial advantages, developing water-efficient ecological agriculture, and improving production quality to increase market competitiveness and should actively explore the international market.