Sustainable Agriculture amid Water Stress: How Can We Consume Less While Growing More

From increasing temperatures to shifting precipitation patterns, climate change is unraveling the many vulnerabilities of our food system. While a farmer’s job has never been easy, more frequent droughts and heat waves, growing flooding risks and tightening policies have all added to the struggle. Farmers and agricultural experts share their insights on what can be done to adapt Europe’s farming systems to today’s challenges.

Is Our Food Supply Under Risk?

By 2050, the global food demand is expected to increase between 59% to 98%, posing the question of how we can scale crop production and improve the resilience of agricultural production systems. While the EU is seen as one of the world’s major food producers, the sustainability of the bloc’s current agricultural production practices has become a heated topic.

Across the world, crop failures have become more common, and Europe is no exception. The summers of 2022 and 2023 were particularly worrying as unprecedented droughts hit the continent’s central and southern regions, resulting in substantially lower yields and making many farmers worried about their future.

Protecting Crops Against Droughts

In arid and semi-arid areas, irrigation is widely seen as a way to increase the resilience of agricultural production. Meeting the water needs of each crop type means healthier plant growth, higher resistance to diseases and better protection from heat.

Still, the agricultural sector accounts for nearly one-quarter of water abstraction in the EU, which means that any increase in irrigation must go hand in hand with water management efficiency improvements. One-fifth of Europe’s territory is currently affected by water stress, and the EU announced tighter water consumption policies this summer.

Economical Water Use in Agriculture

Different irrigation technologies vary in application efficiency, which is calculated by dividing the water stored in the root zone by the amount of irrigation water supplied. The figure can range from ~50% to 99%. With water abstraction limits for agriculture expected to become more stringent, the differences between various irrigation technologies have caught increased attention from agricultural associations and farmers.

The so-called drip- or micro irrigation is currently considered the most economical technology available due to water being delivered slowly and directly to the root zone, nearly eliminating water losses caused by evaporation, runoff or deep percolation.

Lower Water Consumption, Higher Yields

While the costs of setting up a precision irrigation system might seem steep, more and more farmers realize that the investment pays off. Modernizing existing irrigation infrastructures and improving irrigation efficiency allows for considerable water savings while preserving and even increasing farmers’ competitiveness.

Craciun Nicolae Claudiu, a landowner in Dumbrava, Romania, decided to try a drip irrigation system in one of his corn fields two years ago. While his country registered its lowest corn production in 15 years due to unprecedented droughts, Claudiu’s irrigated field still brought yields of 12–14 tons/ha. To compare, the nearby non-irrigated corn field produced only 2–3 tons/ha.

“After harvesting, not only me but my neighbors too were impressed,” Claudiu recalls the 4 to 6 times higher yields on the irrigated field. “Throughout the season, the irrigation system worked as expected, and its maintenance was simple and hassle-free.”

Impressed by the difference in yields, the experienced farmer has now doubled the irrigated area at his farm and intends to expand his setup even further.

Earning the Farmers’ Trust

The benefits of precision irrigation are evident on paper; however, complicated and time-consuming maintenance is a common complaint and widely cited weakness of drip irrigation systems.

Mihalis Klonizakis, a vegetable farmer in Palaiohora, Crete, has been using precision irrigation in his tomato greenhouses for 10 years — farming in one of Europe’s southernmost areas where irrigation already accounts for nearly 85% of total water withdrawals leaves no other option. However, his setup was prone to frequent clogging, requiring unblocking pipes mechanically or flushing them on a regular basis.

Konstantinos Akritanakis, R&D International Project Manager at Pipelife, explains that the design- and material quality of drip lines and drippers can significantly affect the whole system’s performance. Higher-quality drip irrigation solutions offer better precision and are more resistant to wear and soil particles congesting the system:

“Clogging is caused by the turbulence inside the drip line and a subpar dripper design. It is not the size or form of the dripper but how the water flows through it that causes or prevents clogging.”

Three seasons after replacing the old irrigation system, Klonizakis admits that the results have exceeded his expectations as he hasn’t observed any pressure variation or runoff. The growth of all plants has been uniform, with yields reaching 18-20 tons of tomatoes per acre, while the biggest relief to the farmer is that the new pipes are effortless to maintain. “I now focus on my production instead of the drip pipes,” he sums up.

The Future of Agriculture Starts Today

As more and more areas in Europe are affected by water stress, the adoption of precision farming technologies has been on the rise. State-of-the-art precision irrigation solutions help address environmental and food security issues in arid regions while enabling farms to reduce their dependence on weather conditions and gain a competitive edge in a demanding market.

No two farms are the same, and finding the best-suited irrigation setup that ensures high yields and is also simple to maintain requires an individual approach and expertise. Multiple factors, such as soil conditions, nearby water sources, field size and topography, crop types and production methods, all have to be taken into account.

With more EU funding for sustainable water use in agriculture expected, informing farmers and supporting them in adopting the technologies available becomes crucial, says Dusan Jankovic, Irrigation Category Manager at Pipelife:

“In the next years, the interest in drip irrigation will grow even further. We have worked hard not only to prepare a premium range of precision irrigation solutions but also to offer experienced client support to guide farmers throughout the adoption and learning process. Our shared goal is to maximize yields from every field and plant — while saving precious water resources.”