Clean and plentiful water is an essential natural resource for society, providing the basis for human health and quality of life.
In order to protect this resource, the common agricultural policy encourages farmers to use their water supply in a safe and sustainable way.
Water and agriculture in the EU
Agriculture is heavily reliant on water, requiring a steady and safe supply to ensure the health and wellbeing of crops, livestock, and all forms of life within an agricultural ecosystem. However, water is vulnerable to a number of challenges, often associated with unsustainable management practices. Such challenges include:
- pollution from pesticide residues, fertilisers, and chemicals;
- heavy sedimentation caused by soil erosion;
- overuse, unsustainable abstraction.
Climate change brings additional challenges for agricultural water use, with heightened risks of drought and increased water scarcity in some areas and flooding in others. Some areas can also be affected by both drought and floods.
Through the common agricultural policy (CAP), the European Commission aims to ensure that agriculture makes a strong contribution to the EU’s water policies. Safeguarding water is also a key aspect of the European Green Deal, particularly with regard to the zero pollution ambition for 2030 and the achievement of a sustainable food system.
CAP actions
The CAP promotes sustainable agricultural systems in the EU, enabling farmers to:
provide safe, healthy, and sustainably-produced food for society;
earn a stable and fair income, taking into account the full range of public goods they provide;
protect natural resources, enhance biodiversity, and contribute to the fight against climate change.
By ensuring compliance with EU rules and encouraging good management practices, the CAP contributes to protecting the role of water in sustainable agricultural systems.
The CAP 2023-27 entered into force on 1 January 2023. It includes stronger protections for water, increased support for sustainabile practices, and put agriculture closer in line with the goals of the European Green Deal.
CAP specific objective
One of the ten specific objectives of the CAP 2023-27 focuses on the sustainable management of natural resources, including water. In essence, the sustainable management of water is essential for all 10 of the CAP’s social, environmental and economic objectives.
CAP Strategic Plans
In designing their CAP Strategic Plans, EU countries have more flexibility to apply interventions that effectively tackle local and regional challenges related to agricultural water use, whilst also contributing to EU goals for safe water.
EU countries’ CAP Strategic Plans combine a wide range of targeted interventions to address their specific needs and deliver tangible results.
The plans must contribute to, and be consistent with, EU legislation and commitments relating to climate and environment.
Conditionality
Under conditionality rules, beneficiaries of the CAP have their payments linked with a set of statutory management requirements (SMRs) and good agricultural and environmental conditions (GAECs). Conditionality rules of particular relevance to water include:
- requirements to control abstraction and impoundment, as well as diffuse sources of pollution by phosphates (SMR 1);
- the nitrates directive (through SMR 2);
- buffer strips along water courses (GAEC 4).
Eco-schemes
Under current CAP rules, eco-schemes support farmers who adopt or maintain farming practices that contribute to EU environmental and climate goals. Through eco-schemes, the EU rewards farmers for preserving natural resources and providing public goods, which are benefits to the public that are not reflected in market prices and include practices that support sustainable water management.
Eco-schemes can for example support soil management practices such as enhanced crop diversification, reduced tillage, agroforestry and other practices which help to improve soil structure and strengthen its ability to retain water. Practices to improve nutrient management and the sustainable use of pesticides can also be supported by eco-schemes.
Rural development interventions
Improving water management and increasing efficiency in water use are also supported through rural development. Through their CAP Strategic Plans, EU countries can contribute can contribute to sustainable water management by supporting farmers who make extra steps towards sustainable water use:
- through agri-environment-climate commitments (AECCs), in which farmers commit to adopting actions that protect water quality and improve efficiency. Support is provided e.g. for improving organic carbon content of the soil, sowing more climate adapted and/or water resilient crops and varieties, and using smart water and/or irrigation management solutions;
- investment measures can be used to cover the costs of capital-heavy changes, such as more efficient irrigation installations, as well as non-productive investments (for example restoration of wetlands and peatlands, establishment of landscape features);
- Water Framework Directive payments support farmers who need to adapt their practices as part of river basin management plans.
The European (EU) CAP Network also facilitates the sharing of ideas and good practices for agricultural ecosystems through thematic work on eco-schemes and the green architecture.
Green architecture
A new green architecture for the CAP 2023-27 incorporates stronger rules and offers more opportunities for biodiversity-friendly farming. For example, an extra portion of the CAP’s budget is set aside for eco-schemes, which can support voluntary practices undertaken by farmers. At the same time, EU countries are obliged to reserve at least 35% of their rural development budget to environment and climate practices.
This document provides a detailed overview of the 27 EU members’ key elements and choices in their approved national plans. It also responds to requests for information to summarise what plans contain and aim to deliver.
Monitoring progress
Through the common monitoring and evaluation framework, the Commission collects a variety of data indicators relating to water and facilitates a range of evaluations and external studies to measure the performance of the CAP.
The Commission’s agri-food data portal includes a dashboard displaying the most relevant indicators for water quality and availability, while an independent evaluation assessing the impact of the CAP on water was published in February 2020.
The CAP 2023-27 includes a reinforced performance monitoring and evaluation framework, which facilitates greater accountability and the transition to a performance-based delivery model.
Knowledge, research, and innovation
In order to develop new techniques and technologies that can contribute to the sustainable management of water, the Commission supports research and innovation on water, nutrients and waste in agriculture.
The farm advisory system spreads knowledge of new methods and technologies, while also providing advice to farmers on how to comply with water protection requirements.
Research in action: efficient irrigationWith support from Italy’s rural development programme, the Consorzio di Bonifica and Associazione Nazionale Bonifiche Italiane established the IRRINET - IRRIFRAME project in the Emilia-Romagna region. They developed an expert system to provide real-time irrigation scheduling, with day-by-day information on how much water is required and when to irrigate farm crops. The service covers more than 40 000 farms, which is almost 40 % of the irrigated area in the region, and in 2007-13 it resulted water savings of more than 50 million m3.
Legal bases
Conditionality is governed by:
- rules on support for Strategic Plans drawn up by EU countries under the common agricultural policy (Regulation (EU) 2021/2115) (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/126);
- rules on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy (Regulation (EU) 2021/2116) (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/128).
Eco-schemes, AECCs and investments are governed by:
- rules on support for Strategic Plans drawn up by EU countries under the common agricultural policy (Regulation (EU) 2021/2115).
