The Holistic Water for Horticulture Project has produced a series of two page factsheets, with succinct facts and figures on subjects and issues that are important for growers. We also produce mini reports and make available all resources from workshops are also available via the links below.
Rainwater Harvesting
Trials conducted at the NIAB EMR Wet Centre have shown that rainwater harvesting from polytunnels, combined with precision irrigation, can provide up to 99% water self-sufficiency. This is extremely encouraging news for soft fruit growers.
Floral Interventions Factsheet #1
A factsheet providing baseline findings on different floral margins being tested for their ability to improve soil, reduce rainwater runoff, be robust for vehicle travel and provide pest control and pollination ecosystem services to tunnel grown crops.
Remote sensing mapping
Read about the methodology SERT has developed, using open access data,
to map polytunnels across the Medway
as part of HWH objectives to engage
and work with growers.
Floral plots improve runoff resilience
A report on trials conducted at the NIAB EMR Wet Centre shows that floral plots have the potential to mitigate against surface water runoff and soil erosion and protect groundwater and surface water quality. This is when combined with a range of other measures such as rainwater harvesting and storage, plus Nature-based Solution such as wetlands and ponds.
Workshop resources
Effective water management the focus of launch event
The Holistic Water for Horticulture Launch Event was held on the 1st May 2019. Thirty-six people from more than 20 organisations and businesses learned about building support and collaborative action on water efficiency, surface water management and wildlife improvement measures for polytunnel production systems in the Medway. The event included a visit to the NIAB EMR WET Centre. Access the full resources via the link below.
Building water resilience in the horticulture supply chain
Held in March 2020, the second Holistic Water for Horticulture
Workshop brought together growers, retailers and stakeholders
such as water companies to talk about the importance of water resilience,
what it means to their sector and how it can help build
collective action around best practice in water management. Access the workshop’s full resources by clicking the button below.