Over 40% of the EU’s water use is on agriculture, and most of the freshwater abstraction is for agricultural use in countries like Greece, Spain, and Cyprus.
Approximately 84% of the economic impact of drought falls on agriculture and farmers, which often results in smallholder farms having to stop their activity or to transition to more drought-resistant crops.
Under a 2°C temperature rise scenario, droughts are estimated to cause €12.2 billion losses per year.
82% of the Greek population and GDP currently come from areas of high or extreme drought risk and 74% of Spanish lands are at risk of desertification.
Water scarcity will lead to €12.2 billion losses per year and affect 17% of the EU population.
Up to 13% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of EU industries will be at risk due to water scarcity.
17% of the EU population will face a high risk of water scarcity.
50% of the losses will affect southern EU and Mediterranean regions, with countries like Spain and Greece expected to face severe droughts.
The RAINS project is tackling water scarcity and extreme weather conditions in EU agriculture by testing practical solutions like biofertilisers, improved soil water retention, and smart tools such as Optifangs-IA and WaterIQ. Working across demo farms in Greece and Spain, it aims to improve water efficiency by 50% on 12,700 hectares, support over 500 farmers, and save €6.1 billion, 244 million litres of water, and 35 tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2050.
21–23 Oct 2026
The 2026 International Conference on Agriculture Sciences: Agroecology and Sustainable Systems (ICAS 2026) will be held in person in Europe in 2026. The event is organized by MDPI’s open-access journals Agriculture and Agronomy and will take place in…
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14 Oct 2026
Sewage sludge can provide valuable nutrients for agricultural soils, but its use requires careful management. Understanding its composition and determining the right…
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30 Sep 2026
The RAINS project was represented by partner AgroApps PC at the EU AgRI 2040 Conference, held in Brussels on 24–25 September 2026.…
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Coordinated by SAV and comprising 17 partners from 6 countries, this 4-year (2024–2028) €4.8 million Horizon project contributes to improved water efficiency and supports farmers in transitioning to more sustainable irrigation systems.
