As cities grapple with the accelerating impacts of climate change, resource scarcity, and socio-economic fragmentation, the complex interdependencies between water, food, and waste systems demand urgent empirical and policy attention. These domains, often siloed in both academic inquiry and urban governance, intersect in critical ways – shaping human health, ecological resilience, and sustainable urban development.
This conference seeks to deepen interdisciplinary research and foster a richer understanding of water, food and waste systems – both individually and as an interconnected nexus – thereby enhancing pathways between evidence and practice. By bringing together academics, practitioners, and decision-makers, the convening aims to catalyze dialogue, inform action, and inspire transformative thinking toward more equitable and regenerative urban futures.
Indian/OCI Status delegates should register here. Registration for international delegates is now closed.
Keynote speakers
Mr. Takayuki Hagiwara is appointed as the FAO Representative in India effective 29 May 2023, after serving as the Regional Programme Leader at the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand from January 2021. In this role, he has supported the regional office to implement FAO’s strategic framework and overseen the development and implementation of programmes in the region, providing guidance to technical officers at the regional office and facilitating coordination with the FAO representatives in the region.
Mr. Hagiwara commenced his career at FAO as a Natural Resources Management Officer. He progressively took on greater responsibilities, serving as a Senior Natural Resources Management Officer from 2012 to 2015, and later as the Chief of the Asia and the Pacific Service from 2015 to 2020.
During his career, Mr. Hagiwara contributed to the preparation and implementation of various projects including those focused on community-based natural resources management, livelihood development, and the Farmer Field Schools.
Mr. Hagiwara, a national of Japan, holds a Master of Science in Forestry from Yale University with a focus on Participatory Resources Management in the United States.
Isha Ray is a Professor at the Energy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley. She has a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University and a PhD in Applied Economics from Stanford University. Isha’s research focuses on water, sanitation, cooking fuels, and gender among the rural and urban poor. She and her students have worked on access to and affordability of domestic water, sanitation, and energy in India, China, Turkey, Mexico, Nepal, Tanzania, and California’s Central Valley. Isha also serves as an adviser to UN Women and UNESCO and is a commissioner on the Lancet Commission on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
Dr. Veena Srinivasan is the founder and Executive Director of WELL Labs, a water systems transformation organization based in Bengaluru. She is leading WELL Labs’ mission to transform scientific research into real-world impact by designing solutions that simultaneously create livelihoods and conserve the environment. In 2022, she was listed as one of the top-cited scientists in the world.
Dr. Veena Srinivasan has won several awards for her work, including the 2015 Jim Dooge Award for best paper in the journal Hydrology and Earth System Science from the European Geophysical Union and the 2012 Water Resources Research Editor’s Choice Award from the American Geophysical Union. She is also a recipient of the Teresa Heinz Environmental Scholars Award. Veena chairs the Strategic Advisory Group for the Integrated Monitoring Initiative for UN SDG6. She was the Prins Claus Chair at Utrecht University, Netherlands, from 2018 to 2020. She joined the board of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in January 2024.
Veena received her PhD from Stanford University’s Emmet Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E‐IPER). She has a Masters in Energy and Environmental Studies from Boston University. She also has a B‐Tech in Engineering Physics from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Thematic areas
There will be presentations of original research in the following thematic areas that contributes to theoretical and methodological advances and innovative governance strategies for strengthening urban systems:
Water systems
This theme considers the governance, infrastructure, and socio-political dimensions of urban water systems. It encourages research on emerging approaches to water resilience, access, sanitation, and sustainability across diverse geographies:
- Urban water management and water infrastructure
- Climate change impacts: droughts, floods, and groundwater stress
- Piped water–sanitation convergences (Co-planning water and sanitation infrastructure; hydraulic interdependencies – water scarcity vs. sanitation access; surveillance and monitoring systems at the water-sanitation interface; innovative WASH management systems; retrofitting legacy infrastructure for emerging piped water-sanitation needs)
- Water access, equity, and rights in urban contexts
- Decentralized, circular, and nature-based water solutions
- Predictive modelling and real-time water system analytics
Food systems
This theme explores how urban food systems are shaped by and respond to ecological pressures, governance frameworks and social dynamics, while engaging access, distribution, nutrition, livelihoods, and food justice in urban and peri-urban settings:
- Urban agriculture and food security
- Governance of food systems and land use policies
- Challenges in food supply chains and logistics including transport
- Nutrition transitions and public health implications
- Gender, labour, and equity in food economies
Waste systems
This theme invites inquiries into material flows, waste infrastructures, and the socio-political ecologies of waste. We seek work that addresses waste governance, informal economies, environmental justice, emerging waste technologies as well as community-centric waste management models:
- Solid waste circularity: segregation, reuse, and valorization
- Sanitation and wastewater innovations
- Informal sector engagement and governance
- Digital and data systems for waste tracking
- Community-led waste management approaches
- Environmental health and low-carbon transitions in waste systems
Nexus Thinking: Integrated approaches
This theme prioritizes interdisciplinary research that maps or models the interdependencies across water, food and waste systems. It is particularly suited to systems approaches, climate resilience frameworks, and innovations in governance or design that bridge silos.
- Systems-based modelling of resource flows
- Governance frameworks for nexus integration
- Co-benefits and trade-offs across nexus interventions
- Infrastructure co-design and optimization
- Metrics and decision-support tools for nexus planning
FAQs
Q: What is the theme of the conference?
A: The conference will explore how cities can shape sustainable and equitable futures through the water-food-waste nexus. It will look at urban systems individually (water, food, waste) as well as their interconnections – with an emphasis on resilience, justice, and practical innovation.
Q: When and where will the conference take place?
A: January 30-31, 2026 at IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai, India.
Q: Who is organizing the conference?
A: It is convened by the University of Toronto’s School of Cities, the School of Sustainability at IIT Madras, and the UofT India Foundation.
Q: How many presenting authors can an abstract have?
A: Each accepted abstract should designate one presenting author. This person will be responsible for the presentation at the conference and for all communication with the organizers.
Q: Can co-authors also be included?
A: Yes. Abstracts may include co-authors (besides the presenting author). Co-authors are welcome to attend the conference but must also register as delegates.
Q. What is the maximum number of co-authors allowed?
A: There is no limit on number of co-authors.
Q: Can more than one author present the same abstract?
A: Typically, only one presenting author is recognized per abstract for scheduling and program clarity. However, in exceptional cases (e.g., joint practice-based work), a second co-presenter may be considered. Please indicate this at the time of acceptance.
Q: Do all co-authors need to register?
A: Yes, any co-author who plans to attend the conference in person must complete registration by the delegate deadline.
Q: What are the themes under which I can submit my abstract?
A: Authors can submit under the following thematic areas:
- Water systems (urban management, sanitation, resilience, decentralized solutions, water equity, climate stresses)
- Food systems (urban agriculture, food security, nutrition transitions, supply chains, labor/gender dynamics)
- Waste systems (circular economy, informal sector engagement, community-led approaches, digital tracking, environmental justice)
- Nexus approaches (systems modeling, governance integration, infrastructure co-design, cross-sector trade-offs and co-benefits)
If your work overlaps multiple areas, you may select up to two themes (conference thematic codes) for your submission.
Q: Can my abstract have multiple subthemes?
A: Abstracts may select a primary theme and a secondary theme for their submitted abstract
Q: If my abstract is accepted, do I need to register for the conference?
A: Yes. All presenting authors must register to attend. Registration details will be circulated in November 2025, with the final delegate registration for local delegates on January 15, 2026. Registration timelines for international delegates will be communicated in due course.
Q: Will there be financial support for presenters?
A: Details on travel support, if available, will be communicated after acceptance. Authors should plan to cover their own travel and stay unless otherwise informed.
Q: Will I receive a certificate of participation?
A: Yes. Certificates will be provided to all presenters after the conference.
Q: Will the conference papers be published?
A. We have no plans at this time to publish the conference proceedings. Authors are free to submit their papers elsewhere.
About the conveners
This conference is a collaboration among U of T’s School of Cities (a leading interdisciplinary urban research hub at Canada’s premier research university), IIT Madras’ School of Sustainability (a synergistic space at one of India’s premier institutions bridging gaps among science, policy and business practices), and the UofT India Foundation (established to connect U of T academia with India’s research entrepreneurship, government, and not-for-profit-sectors for addressing sustainability challenges). With each institution invested in furthering just transitions across global settings, this tri-partite exchange will facilitate evidence-based and actionable policy dialogue for building sustainable futures.
For more information on organizers, please visit the following links:
- School of Sustainability, IIT-M: sustainability.iitm.ac.in
- School of Cities: schoolofcities.utoronto.ca
- UofT India Foundation: uoftindiafoundation.com
