Water availability in the agricultural and horticultural sector
Life ACLIMA aims to support agricultural and horticultural businesses in finding future-oriented and sustainable answers to the increasing water demand and decreasing water availability caused by climate change.
Every drop counts
How to ensure sufficient future water supply for agriculture and horticulture? That’s an important question that we want to answer over the next five years with a promising European Union water project: Life ACLIMA.
Over the course of this Life-project, several partners will develop and demonstrate a wide range of technologies, management strategies and measures at agricultural and horticultural practice centers in the province of Antwerp. These demonstrations will show farmers and horticulturalists that there are various possibilities for sustainable water availability on their farms, thus making the water landscape more climate-proof while respecting the environment.
Discover the results of the Life ACLIMA project
Within the Life ACLIMA project, work was done around 5 pillars. water conservation, external water sources, increase of stormwater, commitment to water infiltration and water reuse.
Using these 5 pillars, we looked for solutions on agricultural and horticultural farms to make them more water-robust. This way they are ready for the future in which longer periods of drought will alternate with periods of heavy rain.
What was realized within the project? And how did it all come about? You can read that in the various reports we are making available.
Our 5 pillars
Water-saving
Water is an indispensable commodity in agricultural and horticultural sectors. But how to remain as productive, let alone grow with less water usage? That’s the key question. There are various ways of saving water, ranging from preventing evaporation losses in water basins, to cooling livestock buildings, and reduced drinking water consumption. Within Life ACLIMA, we research how the agricultural sector can optimize water usage.
Increasing the use of rainwater
We will demonstrate various possibilities for purification and safe use of rainwater as drinking water for dairy cattle and poultry, in the livestock farming sector. In the greenhouse horticulture sector, we’ll demonstrate how the current water basins can be used even better for storing rainwater under the changing climate.
Investing in water infiltration
Flooding is caused by increased rainfall intensity and hard surfaces’ limited infiltration capacity. Level-controlled drainage and climate-adaptive drainage for agricultural and horticultural plots are both efficient infiltration methods that limit water nuisance and replenishing the groundwater table .
Water reuse
Rational water use is not merely a matter of saving water. It’s also about using the right water source for its application. Agricultural and horticultural companies often have considerable (residual) water flows. These can be used to reduce water demand at a company level, provided they get purified.
External water sources
Sustainable and climate-proof alternative water sources are available for those who seek them. Life Aclima focusses on two adaptation strategies that use alternative water sources: capturing of surface water when it’s abundant, and usage of treated urban (non-industrial) wastewater from sewage treatment.
Any questions?
Are you an agriculturist or a citizen taking interest in our project, and do you wish to enquire about actions or events? Do not hesitate to contact Life Aclima. Our researchers look forward to answering your questions.
Soon more information