Water Use in Agriculture Robert Collins Water Group EEA

Water Use in Agriculture 2009 EEA Report SoE-WISE Reporting Water Accounts WFD expert group on Agriculture

EEA Report 2009; Water Resources across Europe – confronting water scarcity and drought Adopted a DPSIR approach Encompassed all sectors, greatest focus on agriculture Identified spatial and temporal trends in agricultural water use across Europe

Source; Wriedt et al Irrigation; up to 80% of total water abstraction in the South

Focus on conserving water and using it more efficiently Account for the need for healthy freshwater ecosystems Less water use also means lower energy consumption Sustainable demand-management approach is required to managing Europes water resources

On-farm measures supported by CAP funds Advisory/Educational services are critical Effective water pricing structure is needed Illegal abstraction needs to be tackled Use of treated wastewater for irrigation Raising consumer awareness e.g. through Water Footprint How can sustainable water management be implemented across Europe ? Agriculture

On-farm measures supported by CAP fundsOn-farm measures supported by CAP funds Drought resistant crops, those that do not have a peak water requirement summer Improved irrigation efficiency (drip, spray) Daily water balance – crop requirements Deficit Irrigation Application of wastewater to agricultural land

New Reporting Initiative on Water Quantity Availability and Abstraction

DG ENV: WFD, EU Communication on WS&D WQ Reporting (SoE#3)– Drivers & Needs EEA Enhance production of reliable in-depth SOER assessments Strengthen the current indicators (WEI, CSI018) Support the development of WS&D indicators Support evaluation of policy e.g. water pricing/CAP subsidy SEEAW – Water Accounts EUROSTAT Enhance regional disaggregation in the JQ IWA Establishing a stable data flow on Water Availability, Abstraction & Use with spatial (RBD, SU) and temporal (month) disaggregation under WISE

WQ Reporting (SoE#3) – Process Steps: Development of SoE#3 (approved by Water Directors) Test Data Exchange 2008: identifying reporting resources and capabilities, opening the dialog–EIONET Workshop (06/08) Streamlining with EUROSTAT to avoid double-reporting Data Manual (June 2009) opening the discussion towards common definitions and harmonisation Optimising the reporting process-Adopting flexibility WQ Reporting Tool v (09/2009) w/support files (Help manual, online help, examples, xml schema) Continuous communication w/countries and technical support Extended reporting deadline (EIONET Workshop 10/2009)

The WQ Reporting Tool

Examples from the Test Data Exchange 2008

Depicting the Seasonality in Agricultural and Industrial water use in SK RBS

Water Exploitation Index Annual abstraction as a % of the long-term Resource Potential to develop on a Seasonal basis

Water Exploitation Index (WEI) indicates extreme stress Increasing stress

Objectives of a WSDiS: Reliable information appropriate temporal and spatial resolution) required for decision-making Supported by data from MS and Stakeholders Scientifically sound and representative indicators Operationally useful indices based on multiple indicators A basis for assessment of WS conditions taking into account both demand, supply and availability issues (i.e. both socioeconomic and environmental dimensions) Water Scarcity & Drought Indicator System WISE-SoE Stable Data Flow WSDiS

SEEAW: first level of detail (Broad-brush) SEEAW: first level of detail (Broad-brush) The water sub-system (SEEAW) is a conceptual framework for the organization of physical and economic information related to water, consistent to those of the SEEA Philippe Crouzet; head of Land group, EEA

Water Accounts - SEEAW River basin scale water accounts Stocks, flows, abstractions, returns, transfers of water All sectors including agriculture Monthly basis Identify water stress Provides framework for economic analysis

Relationship between time resolution and resource / demand Same averages may result from opposed issues Both yearly average are WRI=0.31, vs. averages of monthly WRI being respectively 0.33 (left) and 0.71 Annual time step of accounting is relevant (even resource, even demand) Annual time step does not show the water shortage (odd resource, seasonal demand)

Time issue: why starting from month? Same yearly averages may result from opposed issues Both yearly average are WRI=0.31, vs. averages of monthly WRI being respectively 0.33 (left) and 0.71 (right) Annual time step of accounting is relevant (even resource, even demand) Annual time step does not show the water shortage (odd resource, seasonal demand) Floods >1/5 Drought >1/10

« Strategic Co-ordination Group on WFD Common Implementation Strategy » Nicolas ROUYER European Commission, DG ENV D1 unit (water) 7.e) Expert Group on agriculture

Identified priorities for the EG: assessment of agricultural measures in the RBMPs assessment of the effectiveness of the measures wrt social, technical and financial aspects, exchange of experiences enhancement of integration between CAP and WFD contribution to the next CAP reform discussion Slide 22 / 19

Thanks for your attention