Case studies: Water

A large proportion of EU water is still below Good Ecological Status, with nutrient runoff from agriculture being a big contributing factor and there is inefficient utilisation and governance of water resources in some countries. The water cluster identifies and evaluates existing and potential agri-environmental policy interventions for sustainable water resource management and closely explores behavioural motivations and barriers for coordination among farmers in water quality protection and water utilisation. We use three case studies across Europe (Spain, Hungary, and Denmark) to capture varying contexts and traditions in collaborative management practices. The case study in Spain focuses on analysing the problems that organic farming encounters in Mediterranean irrigation systems, while the case study in Hungary focuses on assessing policy options for an integrated and efficient utilization of irrigation. The case study in Denmark explores policy interventions that enhance water quality. Methodologically, we use quantitative and qualitative methods: focus group discussions, interviews, ex-post policy evaluation, choice experiment surveys, and economic experiments. The water cluster provides important policy inputs into addressing nutrient runoff from agriculture and for efficient utilisation of water.