Press article - Food security & climate change: climate-adaptive soil moisture management

Hoeksche Waard is an island located to the south of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This rural area lies below sea level and regulating water on agricultural fields is a major issue, especially in the case of heavy rainfall. As part of a longer term project which looks into water management and farm resilience, an Operational Group was set up to test and optimise a sub-soil system to control soil moisture levels from underground.

Since 2020, the farmers have been collecting data and analysing impact on crops. Leon says “We are still learning, but this Operational Group has already given insight on what happens to groundwater levels when there is a heavy shower, or several weeks with no rain. We have identified some crops which yielded much better under this system. It gives farmers much greater control when it comes to unpredictable weather conditions, and increases the farm’s capacity to face climate pressure”.