Overcoming the barriers for scaling up circular water management in agriculture

Expected Outcome:

In line with the European Green Deal objectives for agriculture, the climate adaptation strategy and the EU water related policies, notably the Water Framework Directive and the Water Reuse Regulation, successful proposals will contribute to increasing the resilience of agriculture to water scarcity with improved circular water management systems and enable farmers and relevant actors to manage farming systems in a long-term sustainable and resource-efficient way, enhancing their ability to adapt to climate change, while lowering the pressure on water bodies, as described for this destination.

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• sustainable pathways to scale up the use of alternative water sources by farmers in agriculture in different contexts in the EU and Associated Countries (where relevant) are developed;
• enhanced knowledge is available to farmers on the long-term impact of alternative water sources for irrigation and other uses with special attention to emerging contaminants;
• resilience of farming systems to water scarcity is increased, especially in areas where droughts are becoming more frequent, longer and more intense, due to climate change;
• awareness and confidence of farmers and consumers in alternative water use in agriculture is increased.

Scope:

According to the European Environmental Agency (EEA), water stress affects 30% of the EU population with an economic damage of up to EUR 9 billion annually. Droughts are increasing in frequency, magnitude and impact, and the affected area is expanding. Agriculture is the main water user in some Member States and Associated Countries.

Alternative water sources and storage systems (e.g., rainwater harvesting, storm water collection, water reuse and reclamation, brackish and sea water desalination, aquifer recharge, etc.) limit abstractions from surface waters and groundwater reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture and food systems, and provide a reliable water source for irrigation and other uses, strengthening its resilience. Some barriers still hinder a broader use of alternative water sources. For example, a lack of knowledge from farmers on the benefits and characteristics of other water supplies, financial models considering production and transport costs, seasonal variations of water quality with nutrient imbalances and salinity, heavy metals or emerging contaminants issues, or long-term impacts.

Proposals should:

• test different strategies and technologies for irrigation or for other agricultural purposes (including drinking water for livestock), using alternative water sources (considering the most feasible sources according to the specific conditions of availability, climate, soil, socio-economics, environment) in the long-term in real-life contexts across the EU and Associated Countries (where relevant) at a larger scale beyond small experimental sites, covering the whole water cycle in agriculture;
• identify and test different business models regarding financial viability and long-term economic sustainability (including cost-benefit analysis or agro-economic modelling) for the adoption of alternative water sources, considering different scenarios, pedo-climatic conditions and socio-economic contexts;
• evaluate the long-term impact of the use of alternative water sources on soil health, including the soil microbiome, crop productivity and quality, food and feed safety (especially for fresh-consumed products) and on freshwater resources and ecosystems (surface and groundwater), considering seasonal variations of water source quality (including persistent chemicals and microplastics’ releases) and quantity, such as situations of extreme water scarcity;
• test and document cost-efficient methodologies and techniques to monitor most relevant quality and quantity parameters in real-time and/or to remove contaminants (e.g. using bio-filters) for a safe and efficient management of water from different sources, with particular attention to emerging contaminants especially in reclaimed water;
• identify societal, behavioural and regulatory challenges still hampering upscaling of alternative water sources’ uptake for irrigation and development of suitable solutions to increase the uptake in practice;
• develop, test and make recommendations for improved and targeted incentives and policies at regional, national and European level to reduce financial, social and economic barriers for adoption and acceptance of circular water management in agriculture by farmers and consumers;
• enhance the dissemination of existing knowledge, by connecting actors, policies, projects and instruments to speed up adoption of solutions by practitioners, and by providing training and advice for farmers and demonstration activities. Complementarities with European and national AKIS knowledge channels or similar should be explored.

Proposals should benefit various farming systems/approaches, one of which should be organic farming.

Applicants should apply the most efficient, state of the art agricultural practices and technologies (including irrigation, soil and crop management, etc.) to ensure maximum impact.

This topic should involve the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines, especially in the field of societal and behavioural sciences, and of adoption and acceptance processes.

Proposals must implement the multi-actor approach (MAA), involving at least scientists, companies working in the field of water management and agriculture, farmers and consumers, in order to co-create the knowledge and adapted solutions, and enhance the adoption process.

Proposals should include dissemination activities to increase awareness about the potential value for farmers, advisors and society at large and people of the results. In that sense, proposals should develop diverse practice-oriented dissemination materials, e.g., audiovisual materials, brochures, etc. presenting the R&I solutions, while exploring the use of relevant support services offered by the Commission, such as the Horizon Results Booster.

Proposals should ensure complementarities with other relevant activities carried out under Horizon Europe, including with the European Partnership on Agriculture of Data.

Regarding activities involving aquifer recharging, proposals should take into consideration guidelines provided by the Working Group Groundwater (one of the several groups under the umbrella of the Common Implementation Strategy for the Water Framework Directive), such as provided in the Guidance Document on Managed Aquifer Recharge under the Water Framework Directive.

Applicants are encouraged to tap into international expertise (particularly from Africa and the Mediterranean Area) where relevant. Complementarities with the PRIMA and Water4All partnerships should be explored.

The JRC could participate in this topic, applying its tools to support analysis, such as its integrated agro-economic modelling platform (iMAP) for scenario assessments, or specific water-related models.