The project focuses on enabling farmers to act successfully as water managers in changing climatic conditions. The project will present water risk management practices that will reduce the consequences of flooding, droughts, water shortage and nutrient transport.
The emphasis on the farmer as a water manager is contributing towards implementing EU policies, such as the Water Framework Directive. The final result of the project is a water management concept to use as a manual for farmers and a set of recommendations on future land and water management planning.
The Danish Agricultural Advisory Service, National Centre, Denmark
Danish Ministry of the Environment, Nature Agency Aalborg
The Netherlands
Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland
Provincie Drenthe
Waterschap Hunze en Aa’s
Germany
Landwirtschaftskammer Niedersachsen
Norway
County Governor of Østfold
Bioforsk Institute
United Kingdom
Aberdeenshire Council
Macaulay Institute
Sweden
Halmstad University
Rural Economy and Agricultural Society of Halland
Municipality of Laholm
Regional Development Council
County administration of Halland
Background and Aim
Aim Aquarius aims to develop the farmer as water manager able to practice sustainable farming under climatic changes with due respect to environmental protection. Farmers can take an active role in the positive management of water resources through partnerships with other farmers, water boards, local and national government.
Within this overall goal Aquarius aims to:
Identify common and particular constraints on farmers successfully acting as water managers;
Develop innovative mixes of technical, financial, institutional approaches to integrated land-water management by farmers;
Test approaches to participation in the cooperative planning and implementation of land-water management initiatives by agencies and farmers;
Incorporate state-of-the-art research outcomes into management and policy (particularly from climatic changes, agro-ecology and governance);
Increase the interaction between land-water stakeholders both locally and across boundaries (local, national and EU) and across sectors (e.g. land, water and recreation);
Ensure a legacy by creating demonstration sites and stakeholder networks that will continue to encourage further innovation.
Background Across large areas of rural Europe there is an observable increase in the incidence of extremes of flows and of droughts. Intense rainfall events increase erosion and the input of nutrients and pathogens to water and low flows in drier summers hinder the ability of waters to dilute diffuse inputs with negative consequences for the ecosystem. Such changes are an additional challenge for meeting or maintaining good ecological status for water bodies in the NSR as described in the Water Framework Directive (WFD).
As a response to these problems Aquarius will focus on the implementation of sustainable, integrated, land-water management through engaging with land managers. The partnerships developed in Aquarius will contribute to a balanced implementation of European environmental related policies e.g. European Climate Change Program; the DG Agriculture Climate Action and the Common Agricultural Policy and particularly the WFD. Experiences from participation in EU projects like No Regret and AGWAPLAN will be included in this search for balanced solutions.
This project recognises farmers as key actors for the sustainable management of water and their capacity to aggravate or mitigate extreme flows, droughts and water quality. Successful integrated land-water management depends on developing inclusive partnerships and processes that facilitate the initiation, planning, negotiation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of initiatives.
Successful land-water management partnerships, however, also depend on the existence of appropriate institutional, economic and governance arrangements. Aquarius will assess where there are barriers to farmers acting as water managers and how these may be overcome.
Expected Outcomes
State of the art studies on current farming practices, hydrological and ecological studies;
Identification of: barriers and opportunities for farmers becoming water managers, future trends and future challenges, key methods to deal with climate change;
A water management concept to use as a manual for farmers to work as water managers;
Recommendations on future land and water management planning.
October 2010 - March 2011
The experiences made in the project have significantly influenced the shape of the new research programme of the Scottish government for 2011 - 2016. The programme gives research programmes a bigger role in addressing issues of sustainable management of land and water resources under climate change.
A comprehensive study 'Key Methods' has been published. The report deals with the development and operationalisation of various key methods (institutional, financial and participatory) that the individual farmer will be able to use in the interaction with authorities and other interested parties, concerning cultivation and making profitable use of as much of their land as possible. The three methods have been combined in what the project calls the 'Problem Solution Wheel', aiming to provide solutions that are efficient as possible for the individual farmers.
April - September 2010
The project has initiated various technical methods on how to handle challenges of a new climate situation and to see what kind of tools are being used in the different participating countries. In close connection to the work concerning the technical methods, a number of demonstration and implementation activities have been going on in the pilots during this reporting period:
In Drenthe a questionnaire has been distributed to farmers about their attitude towards water and which methods they prefer to implement. In parallel to the questionnaire, testing of sensor technology as new demonstrations of new methods and techniques have been taking place. Moisture sensors, which enable farmers to achieve efficient water use on their land have also been demonstrated.
There has been continuous focus on dissemination in this reporting period. A number of meetings for different stakeholders and stakeholder groups have taken place, and examples of different key methods were presented to a larger audience, for instance examples and ideas for establishing grazing guilds, new technologies for irrigation and rain harvesting.
October 2009 - March 2010
During the second reporting period of Aquarius, the main focus has been on:
Smooth project management securing close interrelations among the project partners, among the stakeholders in the pilots and the Work Packages;
Finishing and communicating a common baseline which has provided a common understanding of the 7 catchments and the conditions under which they operate;
Working with key methods to help dealing with increased temperature, nutrient losses, flooding and droughts. The main focus has been on technical methods. This work is almost finished. Now primary focus is on other key methods like financial and institutional key methods.
Dissemination and demonstration of the project and the project idea.
The work with key methods gave the experts from the different pilots a number of innovative ideas on how to create win-win methods for farmers as well as the water environment in a changing climate. The work with key methods continues in the third reporting period.
April - September 2009
During the first reporting period, the main focus has been on:
Creating a well functioning platform for transnational learning and securing of the involvement of stakeholders at all levels;
Making a common baseline where the transnational partnership got a common understanding of the 7 catchments and the conditions under which they operate;
Dissemination of the project.
The kick off has been launched successfully and the work has started in all work packages. The set up of the baseline will be presented in December 2009 in Scotland and will lay the foundations for the future work.
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