Bridging Science, Practice and Policy for Sustainable Water in Agriculture

Water scarcity – driven by climate change, urban growth and competing demands between agriculture, industry and households – is placing Europe under unprecedented stress. Agriculture is particularly affected, with shifting precipitation patterns, rising evapotranspiration and unstable irrigation regimes leading to crop yield shocks and risks to food security. At the same time, expectations for safe, sustainable and affordable food production are intensifying. This panel will explore how to strengthen climate resilience in agriculture and beyond through innovative water management.

Building on the European framework, including the EU regulation on water reuse, the discussion will examine the technical, regulatory and societal challenges of adopting alternative water resources. Reclaimed water, desalination blends and stormwater harvesting are among the options that can ease pressure on freshwater, but their use requires confidence in monitoring systems, regulatory clarity and societal acceptance.

Discussions are planned with Prof. Jörg Drewes (Technical University of Munich), Dr. Roberta Maffettone (European Commission, EU JRC), and Sebastian Guckelberger (Siemens). To ensure the debate includes the perspective from the agriculture field itself, we also plan to include a high-level representative from COPA-COGECA. The Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin will moderate and co-organise with the German Water Partnership as part of the renowned BLUE PLANET event series.