Policy Insights - Water efficiency for rural Europe

Food and agriculture have a dedicated section in the UN World Water Development Report. At the same time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledges water as a significant matter for EU farmers because “droughts and floods have destroyed their harvests and threatened livestock”. 

A comprehensive insight on the topic is found in the European Parliament AGRI Committee report from 2023 explaining the impact of extreme climate events on agricultural production in the EU. It states that synergies between water management and agricultural policies still need to be strengthened, notably through the better integration of flood risk and drought risk management into CAP Strategic Plans (CSPs).

This article of the Policy Insights series highlights recent policy developments in the EU related to water management, a topic that strictly relates to sustainable food systems and climate change. It then focuses on water efficiency, which is set to become increasingly visible in EU policy fields in the same way that energy efficiency is widely known as a valuable global goal for Member States.

Overall, the text highlights how CSP implementation can make a significant difference in helping sustainable agri-food systems become more water efficient and that CAP resources can be coordinated carefully (with other financing options from EU, national and private sources) to optimise the flow of water management action across Europe’s countryside.