Farm systems that produce good water quality for drinking water supplies
Safe drinking water is vital for human health. Diffuse pollution of nitrogen and pesticides from agriculture is the main obstacle to meet drinking water quality targets. Policies to protect drinking water resources have not achieved a consistent effectiveness in all member states. The objective of FAIRWAY is to review policy, governance and farm water management approaches to protect drinking water resources in the EU and to identify and further develop innovative measures and governance approaches which will simultaneously increase the sustainability of agriculture. The FAIRWAY partners form a unique blend of researchers, farm advisers and consultancies and is built on 13 case studies (‘living labs’) in 11 different EU countries, which will form the core of a multi-actor platform, underpinning all FAIRWAY work packages. Equally important is the upscaling of successful practices from case studies to the regional, national, and EU scales, emphasising the role of effective communication and extension tools developed in FAIRWAY. The outputs will provide a blueprint for multi-actor engagement across different scales, which will allow agriculture and water policies to be addressed in a more integrated way. FAIRWAY will i) increase the scientific understanding of the relationship between agriculture and drinking water protection, ii) increase the understanding for the social, technical and economic barriers to practical implementing of measures (iii) deliver innovative measures and tools to overcome these barriers, iv) develop protocols and data-sets for monitoring of farming practices and water quality, v) develop effective governance approaches for small to large water supplies, and vi) increase awareness and involvement of farmers and other citizens in the monitoring and governance of water supplies. The FAIRWAY results will be widely disseminated to a range of targeted audiences using state-of-the-art technologies, social media and workshops.