Horizon Europe Rains Project: Resilient agricultural irrigation systems for water scarcity in Europe

In recent years, extreme weather patterns of water scarcity (droughts) and water abundance (floods, torrential rains) have become more frequent and prolonged in the EU. If left unchecked, by 2050 water scarcity will cause losses of €12.2 billion annually and affect 17% of the EU population. RAINS will contribute to improving the resilience of EU agriculture to water scarcity by demonstrating 10 solutions (irrigation practices, technologies, and tools) that will increase the efficiency of water and nutrient management in agriculture and reduce the impact of extreme weather events.

RAINS solutions include alternative water supply, combined use of water and biofertilizers, improved soil water retention, water-N/P modeling, and some smart solutions (Optifangs-AI, WaterIQ) to support decision-making and integrated irrigation management across farming systems. The solutions will be demonstrated in 10 demonstration farm systems representing agroecology, organic, conventional, intensive, and urban agriculture, replicated in Greece and Spain. We will also develop a hydrological and P/N model to optimize agricultural production at catchment level. We will also conduct co-creation workshops, knowledge transfer activities, and develop materials such as guidelines (2), white papers (2), and practice summaries (40).

The policy-focused sessions will offer three sets of policy and incentive recommendations, engaging agricultural stakeholders across the Quadruple Helix, to pave the way for the adoption of sustainable irrigation and fertilization management solutions in practice across the EU. Over the long term, RAINS will contribute to a 50% improvement in water efficiency across 12,700 ha in over 20 EU regions and support more than 500 farmers in the transition to more sustainable irrigation. By 2050, the implementation of the RAINS project will result in savings of up to €6.1 billion, 244,348 million liters of water, and 35.4 tons of CO2 equivalent in avoided emissions.