Water and Agriculture: Innovating to Cultivate the Future

The reuse of treated wastewater and desalination plants are two strategic solutions to tackle water scarcity. Sustainable resource management is now essential to ensure productivity and resilience in agriculture.

Climate change and rising temperatures are turning drought from an exceptional event into a common reality across much of Europe. It is an alarming scenario that is putting tremendous pressure on farmland, forcing it to cope with increasingly scarce water resources. To protect crops, intensive irrigation is becoming essential, but it faces a paradoxical reality: water shortages hit hardest precisely in the regions where agriculture is a leading sector. In this scenario, optimising water use in agriculture is no longer just a best practice; it has become an urgent, non-negotiable priority.

Agriculture is responsible for 59% of total freshwater withdrawals in Europe, and in some Mediterranean regions, this share exceeds 70%, according to the European Environment Agency. Yet much of this water is wasted: outdated irrigation systems, unsustainable techniques, and high-water-demand crops remain the norm in too many farming areas.

Water and Agriculture: Rising Demand in Italy Calls for Sustainable Technologies

Italy is the third-ranked country in Europe for water availability, with around 30 billion cubic meters withdrawn each year. Of this, 41% is used for agriculture. In recent years, the irrigated area for various crops has been increasing, driven in part by ongoing climate change, according to SIGRIAN, Italy’s information system for monitoring irrigation volumes. This has led to rising water demand, especially in southern regions where freshwater tends to be scarce during the summer.

Careful and responsible water management is therefore essential, particularly in agriculture. Some technologies to reduce waste are already available: drip irrigation systems, soil moisture sensors, and precision agriculture techniques. These tools can maintain—or even increase—agricultural productivity while using 20 to 30% less water, according to a report by the GE Agency.

Reuse and Desalination: “Non-Conventional” Reserves for Resilient Agriculture

Faced with declining freshwater resources and growing demand, agriculture must increasingly look to treated wastewater reuse and desalination as key solutions. These sources can ease pressure on aquifers and ensure reliable supply even during periods of severe climate stress.

According to Smart Water Magazine, countries such as Israel already reuse over 90% of urban wastewater for agricultural purposes. In Europe, the new EU regulation on reuse, which came into force in 2023, aims to expand this practice in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe.

Another strategic area is seawater desalination, a technology that has made major advances in energy efficiency and sustainability in recent years. In this field, Fisia Italimpianti, an Italian company in the Webuild Group, has developed large-scale plants in the Middle East and North Africa, regions with extremely limited water resources, bringing innovation and water supply even to areas with extreme drought conditions.

Europe Steps Up: New Incentives for Water Savings

In May 2025, the European Commission presented a proposal to reduce water consumption in agriculture by 10% by 2030. According to a draft reported by Reuters, the plan includes subsidies for adopting efficient irrigation technologies, stricter conditions for accessing CAP funds tied to water criteria, and incentives for the agricultural use of treated wastewater. “It is essential that farmers are rewarded when they use water responsibly,” the official document emphasizes. European funding could be decisive in overcoming the economic barriers that still exist for many farms.

Technologies and Practices for More Resilient Agriculture

Alongside infrastructural solutions, adopting smart technologies can make a real difference: soil sensors, automated drip irrigation systems, and digital agriculture tools that use real-time weather data. In some crops, such as citrus, these techniques have already achieved water savings of up to 25% without compromising yields. At the same time, agroecological practices — such as mulching, cover crops, and agroforestry — improve soil water retention, reduce evaporation, and make agricultural systems more resilient to drought.

Conclusions

Reducing water consumption in agriculture is no longer just an environmental issue. 
It is an economic, social, and strategic priority. Through a combination of innovative technologies, alternative sources like reuse and desalination, and support from global policies, it is possible to build a more resilient and sustainable agricultural system. In a world where rising temperatures are driving extreme climate change, the careful and responsible use of our most precious resource has never been more necessary.