PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Wetlands are highly productive yet fragile ecosystems. They are used as a source of water for irrigation in agriculture, increasing the pressure on them.
In Mediterranean regions, wetlands are particularly vulnerable to salinisation, the accumulation of soluble salts on the soils, due to their location in low-lying areas, where drainage is restricted and salts concentrate in aquifers. Also, the arid to semi-arid Mediterranean climate is characterised by high evapotranspiration and low precipitation, which increases the evapo-concentration of salts. Increased water and soil salinity in coastal wetlands areas has direct effects on agriculture and on natural habitats. These include reductions in and changes to plant biodiversity, wetland dried biomass and habitat loss.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE AGROWETLANDS II project aimed to test an innovative technological solution – the SMART-AGROWETLAND management system – to reduce water and soil salinisation in agricultural wetland ecosystems. The project planned to apply the system in a pilot area located on the northern Italian Adriatic coast that is affected by a high degree of soil salinisation. The site is located near two Natura 2000 network site areas that are part of the regional Park of the Po Delta. It is also listed in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
By applying the technology, the project aimed to contribute to the objectives of the EU Soil Thematic Strategy and the EU Water Framework Directive: preventing soil degradation, increasing the efficiency of water use, reducing the vulnerability of water resources to climate change, reducing soil salinity and protecting wetlands and the aquatic ecosystem.
In the pilot area, specific objectives included:
- Conservation of water used for irrigation and minimisation of salinisation of soils and water, while maintaining agricultural productivity;
- Design and implementation of a wireless sensor network (WSN) to control different parameters;
- Design and implementation of a web-based decision support system that automatically scans data from the WSN and provides irrigation recommendations; and
- Demonstration of the feasibility of transferring the technology to other areas used for irrigation that are threatened by salinisation.
RESULTS
The LIFE AGROWETLANDS II project devised a decision support system (DSS) based on a prediction model (AquaCrop) developed by UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization with the aim of providing recommendations for irrigation for reducing salinisation in soil and water in agricultural wetland ecosystems. The DSS was tested in a pilot farming area located on the northern Italian Adriatic coast that is affected by a high degree of soil salinisation. A permanent wireless sensor network (WSN) has been designed and installed in the pilot area in order to collect data, in real time, about the evolution of soil moisture and salinity, as well as the salinity of water and aquifer depth, along with local climatic data. The DSS can be easily operated through a web portal with a user-friendly graphic interface adapted for farmers.
Final results demonstrated the reliability of the DSS for monitoring the water status in the target field and for predicting its impact on crop production. The DSS was also shown to be capable of providing irrigation advice consistent with crop water requirements and the water budget. Moreover, results showed that when the DSS recommendation is followed, crop yield and water use efficiency is higher than the current regional system of advice for irrigation – i.e. the IRRINET system. Simulation of irrigation strategies through AquaCrop has shown that irrigation can reduce salinity in agricultural soils. This evidence was, however, not as strong in the field experiments. The irrigation recommendations of the DSS have not been implemented with the necessary precision and continuity, because of the rigidity of the irrigation system adopted, as well as of the water quality and availability. For the practical implementation of the advice of the DSS, farms must have a high degree of technical flexibility, along with an adequate irrigation system.
The project was successfully replicated in Spain, after setting up a simplified WSN in a pilot field of a local farmer association. The system transmitted data to the project DSS over a period of 6 months for replication purposes.
Due to the pandemic, the planned training programme was converted to online self-learning, with original didactic materials produced and made available on the project's website. Health restrictions also led to the cancellation of the final conference, but the beneficiary produced two publications and video (available in the website) to compensate. Local farmers were also involved in the demonstration activities.
The collaboration initiated with the Consorzio di Bonifica Canale Emiliano Romagnolo (CER), which devised the IRRINET system, is key to the future sustainability of the project. The IRRINET provides irrigation advice to about 80% of the farmers of the Emilia-Romagna region (RER), and CER is willing to improve this system to address the lack of irrigation indications specifically designed for saline soils. To further develop the project technology, the beneficiary, in partnership with CER and Agrisfera, has responded to a call from the Rural Development Plan of RER. The call concerns the creation of an operational group for investigating typologies of irrigation management that can contribute to control the penetration of the saline wedge into the freshwater aquifer. The WSN AGROWETLANDS, installed by the project at the Agrisfera's farm, will be used in the new project.
Project results contribute to the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC), for water protection from salinisation; to the EC Soil Thematic Strategy (COM (2006) 231), for soil quality preservation from salinity hence maintaining its life-carrying capacity; and to the Farm to Fork Strategy (2020), as a component of the European Green Deal. In this context, project results are very relevant for the maintenance of soil fertility for high-quality production of food and to the agro-environmental objectives of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2021-2027, which will enter into force in January 2023.
The project successfully linked sophisticated forecasting models with the technical needs of a farm, yielding results which have proved to be useful recommendations. The DSS has a good chance, if applied on large scale, to exert important socio-economic impact for protection of crucial natural resources (water and soil), highly functional to food production and conservation of natural ecosystems.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
