Project description
Supporting current and future crop production through sustainable groundwater management
Around the world, groundwater is being used unsustainably, causing rivers and wells to dry up. As the demand for food and water continues to rise alongside the population growth, it is vital that the world change to more sustainable groundwater use; otherwise, in the future demands for food production will not be met. In this context, the EU-funded GROW project aims to develop a model that connects the availability of groundwater to agricultural production. The model will be linked to future water demand scenarios, including adaptation strategies towards sustainable groundwater use worldwide. Moreover, it will show where and when competition for groundwater between the environment and crop production is biggest.
Objective
Groundwater is the largest freshwater resource on earth and is crucial for people and the environment. In many regions around the world, groundwater is used unsustainably. Consequently, groundwater levels drop leading to drying rivers and wells, salt intrusion, land subsidence, and groundwater depletion. Irrigated agriculture is the largest user of groundwater worldwide and is responsible for current hotspots of negative impacts, especially for intensively irrigated regions of the world. Already, many rivers in these regions have reached their environmentally critical streamflow, which is necessary to maintain healthy ecosystems. With expected increasing water demands and climate change, the pressure on our groundwater resources will increase further and new regions experiencing negative impacts will develop. To reduce and prevent these impacts, groundwater uses should be reduced. At the same time, crop productivity should be maintained to protect global food security. This poses for me the urgent question: What is the current and future environmentally safe operation space for global groundwater use and what is, and will be, the impact of sustainable groundwater use on crop production worldwide? In this project, I will provide a better understanding of groundwater availability worldwide. My project will define the environmentally safe operating space for current and future groundwater use and will define and quantify the key trade-offs between sustainable groundwater use and crop production. I will develop a novel and innovative modelling framework that connects groundwater, surface water, and crop growth. The model will be linked novel future water demand scenarios, including adaptation strategies towards sustainable groundwater use worldwide. The results will show globally where and when competition for groundwater between the environment and crop production is largest and whether sustainable groundwater use can support current and future crop production.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2021-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
6708 PB Wageningen
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.