Improved water resilience in rural areas - Compendium of good practice examples

This briefing presents a selection of CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) interventions and examples of projects and initiatives that aim to improve water resilience in rural areas. Its purpose is to give an idea of the range of initiatives that are happening in different parts of the EU to provide inspiration to others – it is by no means a comprehensive list.

These initiatives have been shared by members of the EU CAP Network’s Thematic Group on Improving Water Resilience in Rural Areas through the CAP. These initiatives are funded from a range of sources, including the CAP, but also other EU funds (e.g. Communities4Climate, LIFE, Horizon Europe), as well as funding sources such as foundations and national funding.

The Compendium highlights a range of different CSP interventions designed and implemented in Member States (MSs). Not much information on uptake and impact is available yet, but the examples give an idea of the different tools available at MS level.

The projects and initiatives featured in this publication address water resilience in different ways by: (i) working at the catchment level / following a landscape scale approach, (ii) improving water governance and working in a collaborative way involving different stakeholders, (iii) applying technical solutions, and (iv) providing support through enhanced advice and knowledge sharing.

The availability of clean, reliable water resources is key for our livelihoods, for human health and wellbeing, food security, and environmental sustainability. Yet, in the light of a changing climate, water is increasingly becoming a scarce resource, affecting citizens, farmers, foresters, the environment, and businesses alike.

Taking action to improve water resilience to secure its ongoing availability is therefore paramount, for example through reducing water demand, e.g., changing to less water-intensive crops, investing in nature-based solutions to improve infiltration and water retention in the landscape, increasing the efficiency of water use, and increasing water re-use. Improvements in water efficiency should result in real water savings, whereby water saved by the improvements in irrigation efficiency is associated with a reduced water abstraction by the irrigator or the irrigation network.

The overall aim of the recent EU CAP Network’s Thematic Group on Improving Water Resilience in Rural Areas through the CAP was to examine how to best utilise the Common Agricultural Policy’s (CAP) potential for improving water resilience in rural areas and promote more systemic transformative changes in the way water and land are managed, enabling rural areas to better withstand climate extremes such as droughts and floods. More information and other useful resources are available on the Thematic Group page.