WATERDRIVE

Targets for water quality set by national and international legislation such as the Water Framework Directive have not been met yet in many regions around the Baltic Sea. There seems to be a lack of capacity among local authorities to reach these targets and at the same time to develop competitive rural businesses. The WATERDRIVE project enhances local implementation practices for responsible water management by providing tools and training for about 20 rural communities.

Project summary

Risks in water

The water and natural ecosystems in the Baltic Sea region are negatively affected by high nutrient loadings, eutrophication, drought and floodings. The project WATERDRIVE implements smarter water management practices in agricultural landscapes to reduce nutrient loads by 30-50%. The project establishes innovative cross-sectoral cooperation among local authorities, farming communities, agricultural advisory services and other water- and land managers in the topics of high ecosystem productivity, resource efficient growth and risk management.

New tools for clearer waters

WATERDRIVE develops innovative digital technologies and methods for “doing the right thing at the right place”, adapts policies and financing for managing water on a landscape level, and implements a capacity building program for smart water management in agricultural landscapes of the Baltic Sea region.

WATERDRIVE combines the efforts to reduce nutrient loading with managing risks related to flooding and drought. These phenomena make it increasingly difficult for food producers to cope with on their own. The project works on methods to keep the water availability in the agricultural landscape for longer periods.

Around 20 rural communities from Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Sweden are directly involved in the project, and further 100 benefit from the innovative WATERDRIVE tools.

details

Budgets

WATERDRIVE
in numbers

3.15

Million

Total
2.13

Million

Erdf
0.37

Million

Eni + Russia
0.00

Million

Norway

Highlights by mid-term

The local authorities and communities in case areas in FI, SE, DK, RU, PL, LT and LV worked on engaging stakeholders for water governance in agricultural areas.

Examples of main achievements include:

In Östergötland, SE, eight farmers tested result-based payment systems and a decision support tool, observed by a local advisor and catchment officers. They concluded that the tool needs to be more simple to use.

In the Zuvintas area, LT, water quality management experts met with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, experts from municipalities, Meteliai Regional Park Directorate, among others, to raise awareness about water quality management and monitoring.

In Paldivere and the Adavere Pöltsamaa Nitrate Vulnerably Zone, the Ministry of Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, the Environmental Board, the Estonian Agricultural Chamber of Commerce and Trade, as well as the Estonian Farmers Union discussed the renewal of the NVZ action plan 2021-2030.

In the Ljuga River and Tesova areas, RU, public representatives and the heads of agricultural enterprises met and submitted official proposals to the Committee for Agroindustry and Fisheries Complex of the Leningrad Region for improving the environmental friendliness of livestock enterprises.

In Jelgava and Swete River area, LV, a focus group of farmers and representatives from the municipality, drainage department and Ministry of Agriculture worked on the implementation and investment plan for the Swete River

Outputs

Project Stories