The farming sector is highly dependent upon water – requiring an assured supply of adequate quality water during key growing / harvesting periods in order to maintain steady productivity. The sector must also respond to the extremes of flooding and drought which disrupt operations and are the cause of a variety of different types of loss. A perception that the UK is suffering more frequent extreme events (floods and droughts) is driving many farmers to increase their resilience to such extremes through both new infrastructure (reservoirs and flood protection) and by using more adaptive business models. New approaches to farming has seen the development of catchment wide collaborative schemes, for which NERC has been key provider of knowledge about water, soils, vegetation and ecosystems.
Like many other major industry sectors, the grocery sector is dedicating substantial efforts to reduce their water related risks to their supply chain. Water is now seen as a key issue by the grocery sector, where goods are sourced from around the world, some of which are highly water stressed. Water related risks are no longer an issue of just public relations and social responsibility – but a major factor affecting financial performance, and even survival, of larger corporations.
NERC science has supported the development of a wide range of the methods and tools used by the farming and food industries, including :
The Water Security Knowledge Exchange Portal supports the objectives of the 