EIP water conference 2017

The EIP Water conference 2017 was held in September in Porto, bringing together more than 1200 innovators linked to water, such as researchers, urban and industrial managers, agriculture representatives and financiers, to identify which governance and technology solutions could bridge the gap to solve water challenges. The event included one session specifically related to agriculture and water and Circular Economy, addressing in particular the opportunities and barriers to the use of recycled water in agriculture.

The main presentations focused on the legal developments at the EU level to regulate water reuse in agriculture, based on guidance and minimum standards, and available technologies like Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), the use of earth observation and remote sensing techniques, energy consumption reduction in precision irrigation and resource recovery. All these technologies count on real-life and monitored demonstration sites, showing the costs and safety of the proposed technologies. During the discussions, a strong call was made to implement innovative technologies with a proper governance framework, including stakeholders such as farmers, which would work at the local level.

Furthermore, Brittany explained its successful approach to change agricultural practices in the past years - addressing nitrate pollution, with impressive results in just 5 years.

Event webpage