Safe drinking water is vital for human health. Diffuse pollution of nitrogen and pesticides from agriculture is the main obstacle to meet drinking water quality targets.
The objective of FAIRWAY is
- to review approaches for protection of drinking water resources against pollution by pesticides and nitrate, and
- to identify and further develop innovative measures and governance approaches for a more effective drinking water protection.
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September 2020: Danish farmers' recommendations - new infographic
Recently released on the FAIRWAYiS website - an infographic from farmers in the Aalborg case study.
»Danish farmer's recommendations
Based on practical experience, three Danish farmers from the FAIRWAY case study of Aalborg make recommendations which they believe can ease groundwater protection processes when nitrate and/or pesticide restrictions are discussed for agricultural land.
September 2020: New scientific publication
We are delighted to announce another new publication by members of the FAIRWAY team
Kim, H.; Surdyk, N.; Møller, I.; Graversgaard, M.; Blicher-Mathiesen, G.; Henriot, A.; Dalgaard, T.; Hansen, B. Lag Time as an Indicator of the Link between Agricultural Pressure and Drinking Water Quality State. Water 2020, 12, 2385.
»https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/12/9/2385
Diffuse nitrogen (N) pollution from agriculture in groundwater and surface water is a major challenge in terms of meeting drinking water targets in many parts of Europe. A bottom-up approach involving local stakeholders may be more effective than national- or European-level approaches for addressing local drinking water issues. Common understanding of the causal relationship between agricultural pressure and water quality state, e.g., nitrate pollution among the stakeholders, is necessary to define realistic goals of drinking water protection plans and to motivate the stakeholders; however, it is often challenging to obtain.
August 2020: Environmental Yardstick - new infographic
Recently released on the FAIRWAYiS website - an infographic about the Environmental Yardstick decision support tool and accompanying environmental impact sheets.
»Environmental Yardstick decision support tool
Environmental Yardstick is designed by FAIRWAY partner CLM Research and Advise to quantify the environmental impact of the use of pesticides in outdoor and greenhouse crops. For each pesticide the Yardstick assigns environmental impact points for the risk to water organisms, the risk of leaching to groundwater and the risk to soil organisms. The Yardstick shows the risk to pollinators, beneficials and applicators. It is used in the Netherlands as a management tool for farmers and technical consultants, for monitoring the environmental performance of farmers, for setting standards for ecolabels, for the supply chain to be able to purchase sustainable agricultural products, and as a policy evaluation tool. For each of the principal crops there is an accompanying environmental impact sheet with all pesticides that can be applied. It enables the user to compart and choose the least harmful crop protection strategy.
