Periodic Reporting for period 3 - OPTAIN (OPtimal strategies to retAIN and re-use water and nutrients in small agricultural catchments across different soil-climatic regions in Europe)
Período documentado: 2023-09-01 hasta 2025-02-28
OPTAIN is a H2020 Research & Innovation project that proposes a social and scientific journey towards the increase and better understanding of the multiple benefits of Natural/Small Water Retention Measures (NSWRMs). NSWRM are multifunctional measures that can be implemented, for instance, in agricultural headwaters to support the retention and management of water and nutrients by using natural means and processes, contributing significantly to a more resilient agriculture and society. Conflicts between agricultural water use and other human and environmental demands (e.g. for drinking water or maintaining environmental flows) can be mitigated with the help of NSWRM. This is crucial as these conflicts are likely to be exacerbated by an increasing number of extreme events such as droughts and heavy rainfall.
Despite a comprehensive set of techniques available to increase water retention in catchments and on farms, there is still a lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of the measures across different soil-climatic regions and agricultural systems, especially under changing climate conditions. OPTAIN aims to increase this knowledge for small agricultural catchments in the continental, pannonian and boreal regions of Europe. Furthermore, OPTAIN aims to increase the acceptance and better implementation of NSWRM by showing under which weather/climate conditions, at which location in the catchment and in which combinations of measures NSWRM perform best, considering environmental and socio-economic indicators.
This is done by elaborating from the current state of knowledge, stakeholder experience from 14 case studies involved in the project, and innovative scientific modelling and optimisation approaches. All the knowledge gained will be translated into a Learning Environment that allows the analysis of trade-offs and synergies between multiple values and goals in the management and design of NSWRMs. Close cooperation with local actors and a range of communication and dissemination activities will build capacity and increase acceptance and better implementation of NSWRM for the benefit of both people and ecosystems.
Despite a comprehensive set of techniques available to increase water retention in catchments and on farms, there is still a lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of the measures across different soil-climatic regions and agricultural systems, especially under changing climate conditions. OPTAIN aims to increase this knowledge for small agricultural catchments in the continental, pannonian and boreal regions of Europe. Furthermore, OPTAIN aims to increase the acceptance and better implementation of NSWRM by showing under which weather/climate conditions, at which location in the catchment and in which combinations of measures NSWRM perform best, considering environmental and socio-economic indicators.
This is done by elaborating from the current state of knowledge, stakeholder experience from 14 case studies involved in the project, and innovative scientific modelling and optimisation approaches. All the knowledge gained will be translated into a Learning Environment that allows the analysis of trade-offs and synergies between multiple values and goals in the management and design of NSWRMs. Close cooperation with local actors and a range of communication and dissemination activities will build capacity and increase acceptance and better implementation of NSWRM for the benefit of both people and ecosystems.
A central and innovative element of OPTAIN is its harmonised approach across all 14 case studies (CS), which requires cooperation between all CS and work packages (WP) throughout the project. This harmonised framework has guided, for example, the establishment of a Multi-Actor-Reference-Group (MARG) in each CS, as well as activities related measure documentation, modelling, policy analysis and results presentation. More specifically, the following activities and results have been achieved in OPTAIN’s WPs so far:
WP1 identified relevant stakeholders, developed guidelines for the establishment of MARG and carried out MARG engagement activities in each CS. A CS management and information structure was established to facilitate timely contributions from the CS to each task.
WP2 identified existing and potentially suitable NSWRM in the CS and developed tailored environmental and economic performance indicators to assess NSWRM effectiveness in the CS context. Existing examples of OPTAIN’s NSWRM were documented in the WOCAT SLM catalogue.
WP3 collected, derived and harmonised data with outstanding spatial and temporal resolution for the CS to enable environmental and socio-economic analysis. Guidelines and scripts to derive missing soil and crop data were developed and can be used for any environmental study in Europe. OPTAIN’s pre-processing tools facilitate data compilation and help to adapt input data to the requirements of both the catchment and field scale modelling approaches.
WP4 developed two modelling protocols, including new approaches, to guide CS modellers in setting up their catchment and field scale models. The new version of the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+) and the Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant model (SWAP) were used in a highly standardised approach to ensure quality and comparability of the results across all CS. The modelling results demonstrate the effectiveness of individual and combined NSWRMs and the impacts of climate change across the CS, while advancing modelling approaches for the benefit of scientific and professional communities.
WP5 supported WP2-4 to ensure that models, data and scenario design were compatible with OPTAIN’s optimisation approach. The developed models were then coupled with a genetic algorithm to optimise the combination and placement of NSWRM at the catchment scale, considering both environmental and economic objectives. Initial results show the benefits of a sound measure placement. The ParetoPick-R app was developed to help researchers and stakeholders to explore the resulting Pareto-optimal NSWRM implementation plans.
WP6 analysed local policy frameworks and conducted stakeholder surveys on legislation and governance arrangements. A policy brief was developed on legislative recommendations for the future harmonisation of water and agricultural policy. In addition, a synthesis of the project outcomes was prepared with a methodological framework for the cross-CS synthesis and NSWRM implementation guidelines.
WP7 developed OPTAIN’s communication/dissemination strategy and ensured the dissemination and uptake of OPTAIN’s outcomes through a combination of direct/traditional (e.g. summer school, regional dialogues, conferences, networking, MARG workshops) and digital methods and tools (e.g. website, social media, webinars, CS videos, ZENODO, WOCAT, scientific papers, reports). The Learning Environment is now accessible to OPTAIN partners and is in the final stages of development.
WP8 provided the necessary framework for efficient project coordination.
WP1 identified relevant stakeholders, developed guidelines for the establishment of MARG and carried out MARG engagement activities in each CS. A CS management and information structure was established to facilitate timely contributions from the CS to each task.
WP2 identified existing and potentially suitable NSWRM in the CS and developed tailored environmental and economic performance indicators to assess NSWRM effectiveness in the CS context. Existing examples of OPTAIN’s NSWRM were documented in the WOCAT SLM catalogue.
WP3 collected, derived and harmonised data with outstanding spatial and temporal resolution for the CS to enable environmental and socio-economic analysis. Guidelines and scripts to derive missing soil and crop data were developed and can be used for any environmental study in Europe. OPTAIN’s pre-processing tools facilitate data compilation and help to adapt input data to the requirements of both the catchment and field scale modelling approaches.
WP4 developed two modelling protocols, including new approaches, to guide CS modellers in setting up their catchment and field scale models. The new version of the Soil & Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+) and the Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant model (SWAP) were used in a highly standardised approach to ensure quality and comparability of the results across all CS. The modelling results demonstrate the effectiveness of individual and combined NSWRMs and the impacts of climate change across the CS, while advancing modelling approaches for the benefit of scientific and professional communities.
WP5 supported WP2-4 to ensure that models, data and scenario design were compatible with OPTAIN’s optimisation approach. The developed models were then coupled with a genetic algorithm to optimise the combination and placement of NSWRM at the catchment scale, considering both environmental and economic objectives. Initial results show the benefits of a sound measure placement. The ParetoPick-R app was developed to help researchers and stakeholders to explore the resulting Pareto-optimal NSWRM implementation plans.
WP6 analysed local policy frameworks and conducted stakeholder surveys on legislation and governance arrangements. A policy brief was developed on legislative recommendations for the future harmonisation of water and agricultural policy. In addition, a synthesis of the project outcomes was prepared with a methodological framework for the cross-CS synthesis and NSWRM implementation guidelines.
WP7 developed OPTAIN’s communication/dissemination strategy and ensured the dissemination and uptake of OPTAIN’s outcomes through a combination of direct/traditional (e.g. summer school, regional dialogues, conferences, networking, MARG workshops) and digital methods and tools (e.g. website, social media, webinars, CS videos, ZENODO, WOCAT, scientific papers, reports). The Learning Environment is now accessible to OPTAIN partners and is in the final stages of development.
WP8 provided the necessary framework for efficient project coordination.
OPTAIN is a scientific, knowledge-based project, and the dissemination and wider uptake of the knowledge generated is crucial for achieving impact on the target groups. Therefore, OPTAIN directly involves local actors, either as partners or as stakeholders, to support the research and as end-users of the project results. Several hundred local stakeholders have been involved in OPTAINs direct engagement activities, sharing experiences on the impact and effectiveness, implementation potential and limiting factors of NSWRM, as well as local legislation and governance arrangements.
OPTAIN aims to harmonise its approaches across all 14 CS, which goes beyond the state of the art for large research projects. Guidelines and common protocols have been developed for stakeholder engagement, data retrieval, NSWRM documentation, modelling, optimisation and policy analysis. OPTAINs innovative solutions, methods and tools for data retrieval and modelling are publicly available and will be a valuable benefit for the scientific community and professionals.
OPTAIN contributed to a better understanding of the effectiveness of NSWRM across different climatic zones and developed tools and approaches for the optimal combination and allocation of measures at the catchment scale. Findings on the environmental and economic performance of single and combined NSWRM implementation schemes under changing climate conditions will enable farmers to adapt their management, increase water availability and use efficiency, thereby securing farmers’ incomes and strengthening Europe’s rural areas in the long term. Expert personnel and policy-makers will be supported in their decision-making processes, including the design of targeted and effective incentive systems.
OPTAIN aims to harmonise its approaches across all 14 CS, which goes beyond the state of the art for large research projects. Guidelines and common protocols have been developed for stakeholder engagement, data retrieval, NSWRM documentation, modelling, optimisation and policy analysis. OPTAINs innovative solutions, methods and tools for data retrieval and modelling are publicly available and will be a valuable benefit for the scientific community and professionals.
OPTAIN contributed to a better understanding of the effectiveness of NSWRM across different climatic zones and developed tools and approaches for the optimal combination and allocation of measures at the catchment scale. Findings on the environmental and economic performance of single and combined NSWRM implementation schemes under changing climate conditions will enable farmers to adapt their management, increase water availability and use efficiency, thereby securing farmers’ incomes and strengthening Europe’s rural areas in the long term. Expert personnel and policy-makers will be supported in their decision-making processes, including the design of targeted and effective incentive systems.