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

2. 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

3. 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 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

4. 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

5. 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

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

8. Task 2 - Analysis of drivers in water saving in agriculture8 8

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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

14. 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)

15. Thanks for your attention! 15 15