Water & agriculture: adaptive strategies at farm level

What farm level adaptation strategies exist or can be developed to deal with water scarcity?

The final report of this Focus Group has been published.

Get all the information at a glance in the Water and Agriculture factsheet.

To find results shared by Focus Group members, please check the section 'Related events' at the bottom of the page.  

Tasks:

• Make an inventory of competitive farming management practices and strategies which are currently available and/or adopted to tackle water scarcity at farm/local level in the EU. How will they cushion against feed and food insecurity and rural vulnerability? What working examples can be found in the EU?
• List promising alternative and cost effective, competitive (novel) crops and/or cropping/livestock/agricultural systems that are able to deal with water scarcity.
• Assess the potential for soil and landscape management to improve water holding capacity.
• Identify the success (or the fail) factors (financial, environmental, societal…) concerning the transferability of adaptive strategies beyond the farm/local boundaries as well as to farms in different European regions.
• Identify needs from practice and possible gaps in knowledge on particular issues concerning adaptation(s) to water scarcity which may be solved by further research.
• Identify the main challenges farmers have to face when changing "business as usual" to counter the effects of water scarcity due to changing rainfall regimes.
• Discuss the following questions: Are the local Agricultural and Innovation Systems sufficiently equipped to discuss adaptation strategies with farmers? What active role for extension services, training systems, information campaigns? Who shall initiate an "adaptation strategy"? What role for the (innovative) farmer? Can advisers play a role? How/when can they provide support?
• Propose potential innovative actions to stimulate the knowledge and use of adaptation measures/strategies to water scarcity and to multiply positive effects within the agricultural sector.

Results:

• Starting paper
• Final report
• Factsheet (EN, CZ, ES, FR, GR, IT, NL, PT)
• Brochure and infographic

Other information:

• Agenda first meeting 25-26 June 2015 - Rome, Italy
• Agenda 2nd meeting 4-5 November 2015 - Ciudad Real, Spain
• Minipaper 1: Diversification
• Minipaper 2: Co-operative water management
• Minipaper 3: Tools for improving crop/farm management
• Minipaper 4: Tools for improving Irrigation scheduling
• Minipaper 5: Water quality and salinity
• Minipaper 6: Soil management for improved water availability
• Minipaper 7: Diversification, Improved Varieties

Focus Group members:

Access the collaborative area (only for members)

Resources from the Focus Group members:

• Dutch factsheet on EIP-AGRI Focus Group "Water & agriculture: adaptive strategies at farm level" – Dutch Network Support Unit
• Testimonial video by Focus Group expert Gottlieb Basch on Water & agriculture