Farmers call for central role in water management

The National Farmers Union (NFU) last week launched an Integrated water management strategy which called for a more innovative and ambitious approach to managing both floods and droughts.

According to the strategy, farmers and growers should be given a central role in the better management of land to improve water quality and the better management of water to tackle the dual challenges of floods and droughts – while enabling them to keep feeding the nation.

The document described an NFU vision for agriculture’s role in the sustainable use of water, which included:

• securing a fair share of water for agriculture and horticulture and establishing the agri-food sector as an essential user of water;

• further developing the role farmers and growers play in protecting and enhancing the environment;

• driving technological innovation to improve flood management, water use and support knowledge transfer to increase resilience to climate and water risk; and

• increasing national food security and supporting economic growth.