East of England farmers have a critical role to play in securing the region’s future water supply by embracing innovative solutions and fostering collaboration, according to a new report.
Research from rural consultant experts at Savills says the current fragmented approach to water management across different sectors is unsustainable and that an integrated water management strategy is crucial for addressing the challenges of water quality and quantity.
According to regional group Water Resources East, the East of England is projected to require over 400 million extra litres of water per day by 2050 to support its growing population, food production and environmental protection.
Savills latest Spotlight report identifies several ways farmers can contribute to water resilience, including improved water management solutions, collaborative working, sustainable practices and investment in infrastructure and reservoirs.
Tim Frost, associate director in food and farming team for Savills in East of England (pictured left) said: “As abstraction licences and weather patterns become more uncertain, farmers in the East of England are coming under more and more pressure to use water more effectively. Finding innovative solutions to reduce reliance on already stressed resources will be crucial to creating a sustainable and long-lasting business.
“However, in order to help the rural sector achieve improved water resilience, Government needs to make more resources available for effective investment – both from the public and private sector – and to ringfence a funding pot for the delivery of the necessary infrastructure to support an integrated approach.
“This also includes streamlining processes from consultation through to planning and execution.
“Many farmers and landowners in the East of England are now exploring how best to manage their water supplies, with some adopting nature based solutions and rainwater harvesting; and others constructing on-farm reservoirs, upgrading irrigation systems and developing water recycling facilities.
“The establishment of water resources regional groups also highlights the importance of multi-sector collaboration.
“Farmers and landowners can play a pivotal role in these groups by sharing best practices and developing integrated water management plans, which includes exploring sustainable solutions such as planting drought-resistant crops and enhancing soil health to improve water retention and reduce runoff.”
The Savills report highlights the Norfolk Rivers Trust’s (NRT) Norfolk and CamEO (Cam and Ely Ouse) project as an example of how collective action can help businesses and the environment become more resilient – including using practical on-farm measures to improve water retention, reduce run-off, protect soils, enhance biodiversity and improve the resilience of surrounding water supplies.
Since 2012, the NRT has collaborated with more than 300 farmers with the aim of creating a positive impact for their rivers and wetlands, while still ensuring food can be produced.
This also includes working across agricultural supply chains to use water more sustainably by increasing groundwater infiltration and enhancing the land’s water-holding capacity.
Daniel Murphy, associate in the food and farming team at Savills in Norfolk (pictured right), said: “A specific example of how the project is being delivered is the construction of a large on-farm attenuation feature – a pond designed to temporarily hold and gradually release water to prevent flooding during heavy rainfall – on land with low productivity.
“The new feature will capture water from the surrounding arable land, holding it to allow infiltration and recharge of the chalk aquifer beneath.
“It will also create a new habitat for wildlife and mitigate the effect of field runoff, thus improving the resilience of the landscape against increasingly frequent extreme weather.”
Commenting in the report, Josie Crook, sustainable agriculture officer at NRT, states: “We hope this project will connect the entire supply chain and raise awareness among stakeholders about the challenges of growing food in today’s climate.
“Ultimately, we aim to encourage growers to consider how they use natural resources. By using these resources more sustainably, we can improve the resilience of the landscape and make food production more environmentally viable for future generations.”
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