Water saving potential in agriculture in Europe Findings from the existing studies and application to case studies European Commission Coordination meeting Brussels, Belgium, 27-28 June 2011 A study being conducted for DG ENV by Bio Intelligence Service in cooperation with Cranfield University and RPA 1

Objectives of the project Current situation regarding water in agriculture in Europe water abstraction, consumption and use water saving drivers/options Compile case studies of practical implementation of water saving measures in agriculture to assess what solutions would help address the problem in the EU, where and how Task structure Task 1: Review of water abstraction and consumption by agriculture Task 2: Analysis of drivers in water savings in agriculture Task 5: Identification of most viable solutions to water savings Task 3: Analysis of relevant studies Task 4: Case studies from specific river basins 2 2

Task 1 Goals and methodology Task 1: Review of current water abstraction, use and consumption by agriculture in the EU Approach Database presenting figures: by Member State, by river basin district (RBD) and/or by region (when RBD are not available) Desk study based on the following sources of information: Eurostat and national statistical offices Circa library Basin Management Plans 2009-2015 and websites of the River Basins Districts Grey literature: European, National and Regional projects reports Peer reviewed papers via scientific search engines (ScienceDirect, IngentaConnect, etc.) Draft database sent to the RBN experts of water for checks and complements 3 3

Task 1 – Results Total water abstraction for agriculture in EU27 Put in perspective: High = Agricultural countries Low = Small countries Highest values for total water abstraction for agriculture is obtained in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, France and Poland Lowest values for total water abstraction obtained in Luxembourg, Slovenia, Estonia 4 4

Task 1 – Results Total water use for agriculture in EU27 Fewer figures available for water use compared to water abstraction Highest values for total water abstraction obtained in Italy and Greece Lowest values for total water use obtained in Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia 5 5

Irrigation systems Irrigation systems (sprinkler, left; drip irrigation, centre; and flood irrigation, right)

Task 2 - Analysis of drivers in water saving in agriculture 8 8

DRIVERS Task 2 - Analysis of drivers in water saving in agriculture Addressing Hydrological Losses Storage, Conveyance, Transpiration, Evaporation, Runoff and Drainage DRIVERS Encouraging the Use of Alternative Waters Water reuse, Water harvesting and On-farm storage Promoting Incentive Actions Allocation, Audit, Pricing, Consumer Pressure, Dissemination and Water Productivity 9 9

Task 2 - Analysis of drivers in water saving in agriculture Main Means of Actions Techniques Low pressure piping systems Shift to drip irrigation Sub-surface drip irrigation Automation Uniform application Water Reuse Management Practices Improved scheduling Crop selection Private to centrally controlled systems Measuring and Monitoring Water harvesting Communication Awareness of farmer behaviour Water footprint Technical workshop and local support 10

Main Potential Constraints Task 2 - Analysis of drivers in water saving in agriculture Main Potential Constraints Field Constraints Suitability of crop Soil constraints Limited volumes Shift of hydrological losses Need of Support / Framework Authorities and public powers Local lobby Learning time for farmers Public Perception Health risks Pricing equity issues Costs 11

Task 3 – Relevant studies Task 3: Analysis of relevant studies Studies are being selected: covering different drivers/options covering different MS covering different types of agriculture To be summarised to provide information on how the drivers can be used, where, and their limits.

Task 3 – Relevant studies Example of a study – Deficit irrigation in Italy Factsheet explaining the drivers more in details, based on a specific study Issue: distribution of the rainfall in time, and high evapo-traspiration Study: Deficit irrigation on peach trees with water stress at different physiological stages Results: water stress in certain periods, when the tree is mature, leads to good yields and reduced water use; the same was observed for nectarines in Southern Italy Trade-offs: need a good understanding of the stages, cannot be used on all crops Transferability: Tested in different Italian climates, could be applied in other areas, no data on acceptability for farmers

Task 4 – Case studies South-West France (Adour-Garonne RB) South-east England (Anglian RBD) South-West France (Adour-Garonne RB) Cyprus (one RB) Change from summer to winter abstraction through development of storage reservoirs and adoption of other efficiency measures Regulations to limit use of water and ways to deal with the issue by the farmers Systems to increase water efficiency in Cyprus (allocation, technical efficiency, re- use) Potential drivers: - On-farm storage - Allocation - organisation by farmers - reservoirs - cropping patterns (?) - efficiency of irrigation - re-use of water - allocation - illegal use of water (salinisation issues)

Thanks for your attention! sandra.berman@biois.com 15 15