On June 4 the European Commission unveiled its Water Resilience Strategy, pursuing the triple objective of: Restoring and protecting the water cycle; building a water-smart economy; Securing clean and affordable water and sanitation for all.
This strategy constitutes an essential tool to protect EU water resources and safeguard agricultural production and food security in the upcoming years. Indeed, it is paramount to acknowledge that EU farmers do not simply “consume water” but sustainably produce food for all, which they will no longer be able to do if they lack access to a sufficient quantity of good-quality water.
Today, it is clear that we need to produce more at the EU level in order to respond to the growing demand globally and internally, not only for food purposes but also to enhance the European bioeconomy through the supply of agricultural biomass. In particular, Farm Europe estimates that achieving the EU’s 2030 climate objectives will require a 13% increase in agricultural production, which will have to go up to 25% by 2050.
While the strategy rightly prioritizes reducing water use, improving efficiency, and protecting water quality, it lacks a balanced emphasis on granting concrete support for agricultural production and food security in the context of climate change and the necessary investments for mitigation and adaptation.
In sum, the strategy is missing a focus and concrete proposals on water use across sectors. The Commission treats water storage infrastructure too cautiously at a time where we need to guarantee access to water and better anticipate extreme climate conditions. It emphasizes the need to prioritise nature-based solutions and only conditionally supports man-made reservoirs, stating that such projects require “particular attention and careful planning and coordination since many economic sectors need a stable supply of water and often have different needs over the year”. The Commission calls for a thorough environmental impact assessment ahead of the construction of new dams and reservoirs. This cautious stance signals a reluctance to commit to the scale of investment needed to provide visibility and stability to farmers in increasingly volatile environmental conditions. Crucially, there is no mention of upcoming EU-financed projects for water storage aimed at reinforcing the availability of this resource for farmers. On the contrary, an EU-wide investment plan for water storage would avoid putting additional pressure on the CAP budget, already reduced by 54% in the period 2021-2027 due to inflation, decoupling infrastructure investments to CAP funds and National Strategic Plans.
The “Water Efficiency First” principle underpins much of the Commission’s approach, setting a non-binding EU-wide target to enhance water efficiency by at least 10% by 2030—which actually implies a reduction target for water abstraction. Yet, despite calls from the European Parliament, it does not include any sector-specific targets to ensure that reductions are fairly and feasibly distributed across industries. While it is fundamental to improve the efficiency of water management across Member States, farmers need reliable access to water to maintain yields and meet the EU’s growing demand for biomass.
As for better water management, in its communication, the Commission exhorts Member States to make maximum use of water resilient farming practices. We welcome this perspective but emphasise that all farmers must be put in the position to do so: The authorization of new genomic techniques (NGTs) needs to be expedited, as several promising crop varieties are nearly ready and could deliver higher yields with reduced input and water needs. Furthermore, precision and digital farming, manure management and nutrients circularity stemming from sustainable livestock production, should be incentivised and rewarded.
On financing, the Commission outlines promising tools such as the EIB Water Programme and the Water Resilience Investment Accelerator. Still, there is little clarity on how these will translate into tangible benefits for agriculture. Without designated funding for water infrastructure and climate adaptation at the farm level, the strategy risks leaving farmers underprepared and under-supported.
In short, the strategy offers a strong environmental narrative but falls short in delivering the practical measures needed to secure Europe’s agriculture sovereignty and productivity in a changing climate.
O artigo foi publicado originalmente em Farm Europe.