Eco-innovation and water resource efficiency: towards a knowledge driven agriculture

Efficient water management and irrigation practices at farm level can help improve agricultural profitability and competitiveness in an era of increasingly limited and threatened water supplies due to unsustainable exploitation and climate change. However, despite the continued generation of knowledge throughout Europe, research results are often insufficiently exploited and taken up in agricultural practice, while on the other hand innovative ideas and effective methods of water management at farm level from practice are not captured and spread. Aim of this work is to highlight the importance and need of transferring scientific innovations and local expertise to operational level across borders, and identify a roadmap towards a knowledge driven agriculture in EU. As a result of research efforts and local knowledge and experience, there is a plethora of technologies and management options through which EU agriculture could improve water management, ranging from options targeting increased water use efficiency to options targeting increased water supply. ‘Technologies’ include practical applications and tools that are ready-to-use or have a successful demonstration status, including technologies that make water use more efficient, reduce water losses, monitor water use and those that target water supply. ‘Management options’ are considered as types of water, land and crop management that contribute to the effective use of water resources in farming systems, and could potentially replace prevailing management. Each one of these options has certain co-benefits for other environmental priorities or the farm’s economic objectives and certain trade-offsVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŽemės ūkio akademij

Screening Life Cycle Environmental Impacts and Assessing Economic Performance of Floating Wetlands for Marine Water Pollution Control

The growing environmental awareness of society, the advancement of nature-based solutions (NbSs), and the need for reliable and cost-effective solutions create a favorable environment of opportunities for floating wetlands as alternative solutions for marine water pollution control. The aim of this work was to screen, through OpenLCA, the environmental impacts of floating wetlands for marine water pollution control at various life cycle stages of the system, and assess its economic performance and contribution to the welfare of society. The stage of raw materials production and acquisition was found to be responsible for the main environmental impacts of the floating wetlands, especially on global warming potential, whereas the main impact of the operational stage was related to the eutrophication potential due to N and P residuals in the effluent. The economic performance indicators of economic net present value (ENPV), economic rate of return (ERR), and benefits/costs ratio (B/C ratio) indicate, although marginally, that floating wetlands may constitute a viable investment with potential positive socioeconomic impacts. However, there are still several scientific challenges and technical issues to be considered for the operational application of such systems at full-scale in marine environments