This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Meeting growers’ needs : Optimal management of irrigation
and fertigation
Els Berckmoes & Esther Lechevalier
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
FERTINNOWA’s passport
Call: WATER-4b-2015 (one-stage) Water innovation: boosting its value for Europe
Type of action: Coordination and Support Action
Focus: fertigated crops (vegetables, fruits & ornamentals)
Budget: € 2.999.273
Start: 01/01/2016 – 31/12 /2018
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
FERTINNOWA’s Consortium 23 partners + 1 linked third party
9 European Member States (BE, NL, DE, PL, SI, FR, IT, ES, UK) and South-Africa
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Why is there a need for a thematic network?
2012-2013: a benchmark study on behalf of the Flemish Land Agency revealed that :
1. growers struggle to
• achieve sufficient and qualitative irrigation water
• use irrigation water in an more efficient way
• avoid run-off leaching and manage waste fertigated water.
2. knowledge & innovative technologies are available but are not implemented by the growers.
FERTINNOWA
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
FERTINNOWA’s actions:
Phase 1: 1. Mapping the current situation 2. Mapping the needs and bottlenecks
Phase 2: Find & implement solutions by exchange of knowledge and technologies (from in- & outside the horticultural sector)
Phase 3: Bridging the gap between knowledge and implementation
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
What is the status of FERTINNOWA today?
Phase 1: 1. Mapping the current situation 2. Mapping the needs and bottlenecks
Phase 2: Find & implement solutions by exchange of knowledge and technologies (from in- & outside the horticultural sector)
Phase 3: Bridging the gap between knowledge and implementation
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
1st step : Inventory of knowledge and benchmark strategy
• Review of the available technologies for:
• Mapping of existing bottlenecks
Use of sustainable water sources
Increase water and nutrient use efficiency
Minimize impact on the environment
Technical bottlenecks Socio-economic bottlenecks
Regulatory bottlenecks
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
1st step : Inventory of knowledge and benchmark strategy
Experts knowledge +
information available in the literature:
-Technical factsheets -Research -Previous projects
Information at the growers’ level:
-How do they monitor fertigation ? -Why do they do the way they do? -What problems they meet? -What do they need to improve their fertigation management ? Bottom-up approach
Current step: partners are gathering data & information on techniques & technologies for fertigation management
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
1st step : Inventory of knowledge and benchmark strategy
• Understand uses, choices and needs at the growers’s level:
Questionnaire for growers Including technical, socio-economic and regulatory data 165 questions, multi choice or open-ended
About : -water consumption and uses - cropping system type - monitoring and management methods and tools - effluents management Etc…
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
1st step : Inventory of knowledge and benchmark strategy
• Interviews carried out in whole Europe
- 10 countries - 17 partners - 352 recorded interviews On 513 cropping systems!
Carried out between May and September 2016
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Where are the investigated farms ? :
North West zone Netherlands, UK, Belgium, France
96 interviews Central East zone Poland & Slovenia
92 interviews
Mediterranean zone Spain, France, Italy
162 interviews
Mediterranean
North-west
Central-East
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
High diversity of farms and systems!
Who are the investigated farms ? :
237
60
52 1 system
2 systems
3 systems
Number of systems per farm
308
205
soilless system
soil-grown system
System type: 60% soilless
Main crops investigated: Vegetables: tomato, eggplant, pepper, lettuce… Fruits: peach,citrus, soft fruits, …. Ornamental plants: azalea, tulips, protected plants…
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Towards use of sustainable water sources
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Current status in soilless crops
• Type of water sources used:
MED
rainwater
groundwater
desalinated water
disinfected urbanwast waterdrainage water
surface water
tap water
community water
CE NW
R
G
D
R
R
G G
D
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Current status in soilless crops
Q45 - 39.What would help to persuade you to use more sustainable water sources?
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Q45 - 39.What would help to persuade you to use more sustainable water sources?
Current status in soilless crops
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Current status in soilless crops
Q45 - 39.What would help to persuade you to use more sustainable water sources?
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Current status in soilless crops
Q45 - 39.What would help to persuade you to use more sustainable water sources?
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Water quality? - On a European level the EC is a major concern
- EC strongly depends on the water source and the region
Parameter NW CE Med Remarks
pH X X
Fe X X
Salinity (EC) X X Na, Cl, nutrients
Hardness X Ca, Mg, Carbonates
Organics X
Pathogens/ Micro-organism
X X Algae
Sediments X
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
« Qualitative groundwater is becoming : - Scarce due to nutrient pollution
(Spain) - Scarce due to restrictions (Flanders) - Expensive due to taxes (Poland) »
Current status in soilless crops
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Growers are facing bottlenecks
• Example of the NW and CE region:
– Technological:
- how to dimension rain water storage?
- in relation to the crop?
- in relation to the rainfall pattern?
- how to collect rain water for soil bound crops?
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
• Example of the NW region
- Socio-economic:
- cost, space
- Legislative:
- risk analysis is required for big rain water storages, this often causes delays.
- Environmental:
- Drift of pesticides
Growers are facing bottlenecks
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
• Example of the NW region - Dimensioning tools
- Risk analysis (flooding, herbicides)
- Cost-benefit analysis
Needs
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Towards more efficient use of water and nutrients
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Q103 - 101. Why are you not implementing more innovative technologies?
Bottlenecks
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Q103 - 101. Why are you not implementing more innovative technologies?
Bottlenecks
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Q103 - 101. Why are you not implementing more innovative technologies?
Bottlenecks
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Observation
• Water consumption:
Only minor group of growers measure water flows
Growers only know some general figures
• Nutrient consumption:
Growers are forced to register (Global Gap)
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Needs
- Cost-effectiveness
- they need real economic impact to be in the priorities
- PROVEN effectiveness
- they need proofs from other growers that it works well
- Easy to use tools
- Technology is sometimes implemented but under used because not practical
- Investment cost adapted to the farm scale (observation all over Europe)
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Towards reduced environmental impact
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Q153 - 151. Do you plan to implement new practices for limiting effluent discharge in the next 3 years?
Q158 - 156. Do you face control regarding your emissions?
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Bottlenecks
- Technological: - Availability of end-of-pipe solutions?
- Dimension of the waterflows to be treated?
- Socio-economic: - High pressure on horticultural activities
- High Investment needed
- Legislative: - Changing legislation (for example Poland, Belgium, …)
- Legislative demands prior to availability of technologies (for example the Netherlands: removal from residues from waste water flows)
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Needs
- Encouraging policies
- Long term legislation
- Cost effective technologies
- Technologies to reduce environmental impact: - For example end-of-pipe solutions
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
FERTINNOWA ?
Phase 1: 1. Mapping the current situation 2. Mapping the needs and bottlenecks
Phase 2: Find & implement solutions by exchange of knowledge and technologies
Phase 3: Bridging the gap between knowledge and implementation
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Phase 2: Find and implement solutions
Focus on exchange of technologies From inside and outside the horticultural sector
short term results
Each consortium member implement at least 1 technology
Implementation of at least 1 year, max. 2 years
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
FERTINNOWA’s approach: For example the Dutch and Flemisch cucumber growers:
Outcome of growers consultation:
Growers:
“Root exudates are challenging when you want to recirculate. We need a technology to remove these root exudates”
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
FERTINNOWA’s approach: For example the Dutch and Flemisch cucumber growers:
The FERTINNOWA’s bottom-
up-approach:
We involve other stakeholders like researchers and industry
Research:
“Why not applying activated charcoal? It is done for years in soilless lettuce crops”
Industry:
“Why not using advanced oxidation?”
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
FERTINNOWA actively exchanges technologies for at least one year on (semi-)field scale
FERTINNOWA’s approach: For example the Dutch and Flemisch cucumber growers:
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Actively inform the growers of the results by demonstrations, articles, fact sheets, practice abstracts, ….
FERTINNOWA’s approach: For example the Dutch and Flemisch cucumber growers:
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Phase 3: bridging the gap between knowledge and implementation
• Field visits en dissemination activities during 2017-2018
• Workshops & conferences: – 2016 (12-13 October Brittany, France): results of growers
consultations)
– 2017 (The Netherlands): first experiences exchanged technologies
– 2018 (Almeria – Spain): final conference
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Phase 3: bridging the gap between knowledge and implementation • Practice abstracts
• Website www.FERTINNOWA.be
• E-newsletter (2/year)
• Articles on general and trade press
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
What will be your role in FERTINNOWA today
Tell us your story!! Growers What are your needs? What bottlenecks are you facing? Industry, policymakers, researchers: What can we do to meet the growers needs? Bearing in mind the FERTINNOWA relults.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Any questions so far?
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Thanks you for your attention !