00:00will we still be able to cultivate the land if it rains less if our rivers are too polluted in
00:10europe the water cycle is declining agriculture is one of the first victims but it's also a
00:16pressure source that is signs of phosphorus in the water we met farmers committed to managing
00:23water more sustainably more efficiently we take you to ireland but our first stop is portugal
00:30farming has boomed in the arid southern region of valentejo thanks to the archiva water reservoir
00:43one of the largest artificial lakes in europe but will it be enough portugal anticipates a drop
00:48of six percent in water availability in the year 2040 and a rise of 26 percent of the demands
00:54the spurão estate producing organic wine and olive oil has launched itself in a quest to find the most
01:03resilient grapes this vine plot is a laboratory there is one variety per vine row each divided into
01:11three irrigation levels comfort stress and drought in this area the fine crops have not received any
01:17water at all and as you can see some are doing very well these varieties are put into production
01:37on a covered soil to maintain cool and moisture irrigation is minimal to make the roots plunge and
01:44favor the fruits quality over quantity underground probes allow to monitor soil moisture in each plot
01:50and keep the plants in slight water stress we have here a line of stress stress, water, stress, water
01:57so the technology is fundamental for the decision we are trying to close everything
02:02to connect the labs with a series of algorithms that define the needs of each one of the
02:09plants and try to do everything automatically the estate has its own waste water treatment plant
02:16reclaimed industrial effluents flood this reservoir which serves as a refuge for the wild fauna
02:22The aim of the european union is to improve water efficiency by 10 percent by 2030
02:40portugal's plan includes building new dams modernize water pipes and recycle more water
02:45in other regions of europe water is not lacking but its quality is a source of concern we went to
02:54ireland where levels of organic pollutants such as nitrates are in debate this was a hot topic during
02:59the country's main farming event
03:06here in ireland agriculture covers about 70 percent of the national landscape it is a backbone of rural
03:11communities and the very important sector for the economy but the intensification of agriculture has
03:16created pressures on rivers lakes and groundwater so the governments together with the farmers are
03:21searching for solutions farming for water is a collaborative project that promotes good farming
03:28practices to protect water quality we're working with the farmers these are asset advisors they meet
03:34the farmer they go down and they look at where the riskiest parts on the farm where's nutrients
03:39getting into the water and how can we block or address that nature-based interception measures
03:46include these wetland ponds where plants act as filters capable of capturing sediment and nutrient losses
03:54or riparian buffer zones between rivers and cultivated fields such as this one where this dairy farmer is
03:59growing the grass that feeds his cows it actually supplies the local pound the drinking water the project aims
04:05at providing advice to 15 000 farmers like neil burn whose land is in a priority area it's a high risk
04:13area for phosphorus loss and we identify these pathways we stop spreading phosphorus and slurry
04:20here earlier in the year we won't come back here through the 15th march i can see the effects on this
04:25farm straight away the improvements which are made so fast i have to say to get financial supports to
04:29do these works it makes huge difference for us farmers we work beside the water but we also use the water the
04:35same as everyone else so many other people are dependent on it so we're happy to do our part too
04:40the european directive on nitrates requires member states to designate vulnerable areas and to limit the
04:46spread of inputs joan shows us the effects that fertilizers or pesticides can have on waterways
04:54what are we looking for signs of eutrophication in free draining soil we have nitrate as a significant
05:01issue rain would wash it down into the groundwater and it comes into the rivers through base flow
05:06in heavier soils we see more phosphorus issues so we can see here that the rocks are covered
05:13with filamentous algae and that is signs of phosphorus in the water
05:19these algae can result in dissolved oxygen to decline in the water if some species like this crayfish look
05:25okay others are already gone once you throw the balance you start losing incrementally the next
05:31one the next one the next one the next one until you have dominated by tolerant species
05:4054 percent of irish water courses are considered in a good or high ecological status the eu through the
05:46water framework directive requires states to reach 100 percent here's our blue dot sign showing that it's
05:53high status here at the river healthy river very healthy here is a great indicator of water quality
06:01macro invertebrates they would not survive to organic pollution in ireland the most significant
06:11pressure is agriculture but we have other pressures like the physical shape of our rivers we also have
06:17a wastewater treatment plant sometimes we will have forestry pressures it needs management it needs
06:22farmers it needs communities to come together to help protect the waters so there's a bit of work
06:26to do there is a good bit a good bit
06:30in ireland's efforts to re-nature water systems also go through degraded peatlands welcome to an irish
06:37bog when you help them get back into a healthier place they're sort of they're just bursting with life
06:45a major challenge of the eu nature restoration law is to re-wet these landscapes that were often
06:54drained for agriculture or energy production you already uh planted so many plants now my garden is
07:00very neglected but i'm enjoying it today in order for the soil to regain its ecosystem benefits these
07:07volunteers responded to a call from the european project palace demos which aimed to demonstrate the
07:12profitability of peak land power geoculture if you ask a performer to rewet the land it then becomes
07:18almost useless for him in terms of how any income what we're trying to do there is to showcase that
07:23you can crop sphagnum and use it as a replacement for coir in horticultural compost this is the
07:29moss this is the famous sphagnum moss so in a flood event uh this will be able to hold 20 times its own weight
07:37come on let's plant some moss let's go polluted culture the productive use of wet soils it's aimed
07:45to be kind of a win-win scenario that's it time to part ways with our hands in the peat we'll meet
07:51again in the moss
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