Under the framework of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the event provided a timely opportunity to discuss the European Water Resilience Strategy and explore how its objectives strengthening water security, improving efficiency, addressing scarcity, reducing pollution, and managing water-related risks — can be advanced across Europe.
Together with EU policymakers, growers, researchers, and industry leaders, we explored how innovation in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) can help Europe produce more food with less water, while safeguarding ecosystems.
Throughout the discussions, one message was clear: sustainable food production starts with responsible water management. From the European Commission’s vision for improved water efficiency, to inspiring cases, to scientific insights into circular irrigation — every contribution demonstrated that collaboration across the value chain is essential for meaningful change.
Key takeaways:
- Water must be treated as a finite and precious resource
- CEA can reduce water use by 50–90% while delivering high-quality, local food
- Digitalization and closed-loop systems minimize emissions and maximise efficiency
- Innovation and policy must go hand-in-hand to meet Europe’s sustainability goals
- The future of food depends on how we manage water today
Water resilience in agriculture
Water scarcity, intensified by climate change, increasingly threatens agricultural production, environmental sustainability, and food security in Europe. Addressing this challenge requires innovative solutions and a systemic approach to water management across landscapes, farms, and value chains.
CEA emerged as a central theme during the event, with participants highlighting its potential to produce more food using significantly less water while minimizing nutrient pollution. Scaling this approach, however, depends on supportive policies, targeted investment, and clear regulatory guidance.
Event highlights
The discussions emphasized the urgency of enhancing water resilience in response to climate change, characterized by more frequent and intense droughts, floods, and unpredictable rainfall.
Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) was highlighted as a transformative solution. Proponents noted its ability to deliver high yields with minimal water use through closed-loop hydroponic systems that virtually eliminate nutrient pollution.
From a policy perspective, the European Water Resilience Strategy provides a critical framework, centered on restoring the water cycle, fostering a “water-smart economy,” and ensuring clean water for all. A key pillar of the strategy is the “Water Efficiency First” principle, which prioritizes demand reduction and efficiency improvements over expanding supply. An aspirational EU-wide target of a 10% water efficiency improvement by 2030 has been set to drive this agenda, though the methodology is still under development.
Implementation on the ground — particularly through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — faces several challenges, including knowledge gaps among farmers and advisors, fragmented governance between agricultural and water authorities, and the need for a holistic, systemic approach at the landscape and catchment level. Best practices demonstrate that success depends on cooperation, peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, and integrating local stakeholders.
The dialogue revealed a complex interplay of perspectives:
- Farmers face immense pressure from climate variability and require flexibility, innovation, and major infrastructure investment.
- Environmental advocates emphasize curbing overall water demand, questioning the long-term efficiency of certain agricultural models, and scaling nature-based solutions.
- The water sector highlights a significant investment gap in infrastructure and calls for inclusive, local governance models to manage competition for a finite resource.
Ultimately, participants agreed that building resilience requires systemic innovation, cross-sectoral collaboration, and a value-chain approach that treats water as the precious, finite resource it is.
