1st Thematic Group meeting on Improving Water Resilience in Rural Areas through the CAP
The Thematic Group (TG) meeting provided a first opportunity to share good practice examples of CAP actions and approaches to improve water resilience in rural areas in a sustainable way. TG members explored success factors as well as barriers for effective design and implementation of such measures.
- Programming period: 2023-2027
Page contents
Event information
- Date: 18 September 2025
- Location: Virtual meeting
- Organisers: EU CAP Network, CAP Implementation Contact Point (CAPI CP)
- Participants: 48 participants from 20 EU Member States, including Managing Authorities (MAs), Paying Agencies (PA), farming organisations, National CAP Networks, LEADER Local Action Groups, other stakeholder organisations, research and universities, advisory services and the European Commission (DG AGRI, DG ENV, DG CLIMA).
- Outcomes: Sharing positive examples for improving water resilience in rural areas and exchanging on barriers to uptake.
- Web page: 1st meeting of the Thematic Group on Improving Water Resilience in Rural Areas through the CAP
Setting the scene – Improving water resilience with different types of responses
The first meeting of this Thematic Group opened with a framing presentation by Josselin Rouillard (Ecologic Institute), who outlined the importance of addressing water resilience in rural areas, as water stress affects 30% of the EU land area and 34% of the EU population. Issues and risks vary between regions, in relation to water scarcity, severe droughts and flooding. Managing water in the landscape and increasing water efficiency are therefore key. There is an emphasis on investments to improve irrigation efficiency within CAP Strategic Plans (CSPs), while less attention is paid to other measures that could be used to promote water retention and landscape approaches.
Addressing water related issues by improving water resilience with different types of responses, Josselin Rouillard, Ecologic Institute
(PDF – 669.21 KB)
Four TG members briefly introduced examples of improving water resilience (all the presentations are available on the event page):
Carlo Vromans introduced two examples by Deltaplan Agrarisch Waterbeheer (DAW), a Dutch initiative bringing together farmers, water boards, administrations and water companies to tackle water-related issues in agriculture jointly. In Goeree-Overflakkee, farmers work together to improve the retention of rainwater in the landscape to combat drought, by creating infiltration ditches and adjusting field design. In Gelderse Vallei, sandy soils cause water leaching and flooding. Awareness-raising for farmers was key for implementing soil management measures to improve water infiltration and the drainage capacity of the soil.
Improving water retention and infiltration, Carlo Vromans, Deltaplan Agrarisch Waterbeheer, DAW, the Netherlands
(PDF – 1.11 MB)
Laurence Modrego (WWF, EU) showed first results from EU-funded project MERLIN at the Bereg pilot site along the river Tisza (Hungary), an area at high risk of droughts. Pilot interventions included the heightening of a dyke to protect croplands and increase the water level in a nearby forest, as well as to create floodplains. The activities involved water managers, forest managers, municipalities and farmers, and highlighted the importance of cooperation. The increased soil moisture led to more ground water supply in nearby areas.
Nature-based solutions in practice, Laurence Modrego, WWF, EU
(PDF – 2.75 MB)
Corinna Friedrich (German Landcare Association DVL, Germany) presented a regional management plan developed in the region of Brandenburg. The plan includes a programme for cooperation on climate-friendly land use and management. A combination of CAP interventions, environmental education and the set-up of cooperatives helped keep water in the landscape to improve water retention, increase water levels, and introduce better farming practices (e.g. improved machinery, agroforestry).
Nikolaos Karavas (Ministry of Agriculture, Greece) gave an overview of eco-schemes that are beneficial for water resilience in Greece, with a focus on three management practices: (1) the use of resilient and adapted crop species with lower water demand and aromatic plants resistant to drought; (2) green cover crops to retain more water in the soil; and (3) landscape interventions, including agroforestry systems. Uptake by farmers in Greece is limited, raising the question of whether CAP financial support is adequate and sufficient to facilitate a transformative change, or if other supporting measures are needed.
Eco-schemes for water resilience, Nikolaos Karavas, Ministry of Agriculture, Greece
(PDF – 791.61 KB)
Inspired by the framing presentations, the discussion among TG members highlighted several important aspects to consider for the successful implementation of measures for water resilience. These include the importance of involving key stakeholders (e.g., the water authorities), considering potential legal barriers, and considering the market for alternative crops, as well as differences in irrigation methods and their impact on overall water use.
Group discussion and further reflections – Existing solutions to improve water resilience and barriers hindering uptake
Kaley Hart (EU CAP Network) set the frame for the group discussions by sharing an overview of the barriers identified in the responses to the Expression of Interest for this TG. The barriers can be categorised into three main areas:
- information, awareness and capacity,
- water governance and legal issues, and
- CAP/CSP specific issues.
The full analysis and additional information can be found in the Background Paper published on the event page.
Background Paper - Thematic Group on Improving Water Resilience in Rural Areas through the CAP
(PDF – 465.14 KB)
TG members were split into three parallel groups to explore positive examples, success factors, and challenges facing the design and implementation of interventions for improving water resilience in rural areas. In each group, an example was presented by a TG member to spark the discussion. Sonsoles Jiménez (University of Malaga and farmer, Spain) explained how climate-adapted varieties and improved agricultural practices help address water scarcity. Bram Van Nevel (Flemish Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries, Belgium) presented the Flemish eco-scheme for improving soil organic carbon and the agricultural investment fund for improving existing drainage to control water levels. Jennie Barron (Swedish University of Agriculture) highlighted the challenges to putting in place small-scale irrigation reservoirs, including long timeframes for permits, legal processes, and high investments costs.
Responses to excess water, Bram Van Nevel, Flemish Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries, Belgium
(PDF – 835.67 KB)
Improving the institutional framework, Jennie Barron, Swedish University of Agriculture, Sweden
(PDF – 675.11 KB)
After a lively round of parallel group discussions, TG members convened back to the plenary session where Noemi Nemes (Navdanya International, EU), Airi Kulmala (Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners MTK, Finland) and Gergely Árpádi (Ministry of Agriculture, Hungary) reported the main outcomes of the breakout groups. These included:
Challenges
- Long-term nature of the issue: where farmers do not own their land, this may constrain long-term planning and decision-making. Older generations may not be willing to take up new practices that show benefits only in the long term
- High investment costs and long time needed to obtain permits for the construction of on-farm water retention basins – particularly an issue for young farmers
- Concerns that changes in land use or crops may reduce the areas of productive agricultural land or have negative effects on farm income
- Changes in production need to be considered hand in hand with the whole value chain - changes may also be necessary in relation to markets, the processing (food) industry, and consumer preferences
- Conflicting interests of different stakeholders in terms of water use
- Sectoral legislation at different levels is not always coherent, which may cause difficulties when seeking to implement measures for water resilience
Responses to address water-related issues
- Land and soil management are key to improving water resilience
- Both technical and nature-based solutions exist and should be implemented in combination, depending on the respective situation, to deliver the best results
- Climate-adapted crop varieties should be promoted
- The link between environmental measures and the economic benefits of action for long-term resilience needs to be made clearer; solutions need to work for farmers, the market, the environment/climate and society as a whole
Enabling environment
- Knowledge-sharing and piloting community-based and multi-stakeholder approaches are key, and ways of scaling them up need to be found
- Advisory services are central to improving water resilience and need to consider both the economic and environmental dimension
Based on the points highlighted by the panel, Josselin Rouillard reflected on the key questions raised that merit further discussion, including:
- A transformative change is necessary to achieve both water and economic resilience for farmers, rural areas and society. What is the package of tools (technological and nature-based) that can support such change?
- How to build the awareness of both farmers and authorities about the changes required to transition to more water-resilient farming systems and rural areas?
- How to make the best use of CAP interventions (individually and combined), learning from past experiences and scaling up efforts to take action at the landscape scale? How are they embedded in the wider policy landscape and how can they work in combination with other policies and instruments?
- How can the available funding be used most effectively to deliver results?
In conclusion, all participants agreed on the pivotal role of cooperation across different levels of governance and between stakeholders to improve water resilience in rural areas.
Next steps
Follow-up activities (collection of good practices, informal online session for TG members – on demand) will be arranged in October, and the second TG meeting will take place on 6 November in Brussels. TG members will explore options for incentivising uptake and replication of good practices and will develop policy recommendations.
Visit the Thematic Group page for more details and updates.
Author(s)
EU CAP Network
