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.
The objective of FAIRWAY is
- to review approaches for protection of drinking water resources against pollution by pesticides and nitrate, and
- to identify and further develop innovative measures and governance approaches for a more effective drinking water protection.
November 2019: Two new videos released
FAIRWAY is working in 13 case study sites in 11 different European countries. In each case study local farmers are involved in the project sharing with the research team information about the measures they take to reduce the risk polluting (ground)water that is used for drinking. All the farms differ and the farmers work on improvements in their own way.
A diary farmer in Dravsko Polje (Slovenia) tells how she has replaced the old cattle shed with a new one using a deep bedding system. The bedding material mixed with slurry is applied to the fields, providing much needed additional organic matter and a reduced risk of leaching.
An asparagus farmer in Brabant (Netherlands) tells his personal story about how he tries to reduce pollution risk while keeping his farm economically sustainable.
September 2019: 3rd Plenary meeting, Ljubljana
From 10 to 13 September, the FAIRWAY project partners met in Ljubljana, Slovenia for our Third Plenary Meeting. New team members were introduced and the results achieved in each work package were presented and discussed. We had in depth presentations from two of our case studies, the Derg Catchment and Anglian Region, both in the UK. An excellent field day to Dravsko Polje introduced us to two local dairy farmers who shared their produce with us and discussed the actions they take on their farms to prevent contamination of water supplies by slurry. We also visited the Putj water pumping station and met the farmer who farms the surrounding water protection zone. A day of carousel sessions allowed each of the work packages and case study sites plenty of time to discuss their work programmes with each other. Our grateful thanks to Matjaž, Marina and the rest of the team at the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty for organising such a welcoming and fruitful meeting.
Jane Brandt
June 2019: FAIRWAY Workshop, LuWQ2019, Aarhus
FAIRWAY organized a workshop on the main barriers and solutions for creating safe drinking water resources during the Conference on Land Use and Water Quality in Aarhus (June 2019). The aim of the workshop was to discuss and rank the barriers and solutions. Twenty-nine people from 12 countries participated.
The full meeting report can be »downloaded here.
Gerard Velthof
