not severe enough in the growth season to have had a significant impact (UN 2004).
The 1996, 2006 and 2011 droughts were recognized as agricultural disasters, and
affected farmers were financially compensated (Chap. 7, UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs Division of Sustainable Development 2004). The
expected decrease in summer precipitation—coupled with a possible increase in
summer water demand due to higher temperatures, in particular if irrigation
becomes a widespread agricultural practice—can lead to a further lack of water
availability and problems for the agricultural sector in Flanders (UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs Division of Sustainable Development 2004).
Among the different administrative districts in the Eifel-Rur area, the northern
downstream area is more characterized by agriculture. The administrative district of
Heinsberg, which covers the downstream area of Eifel-Rur is with 65 % the district
with the highest percentage of agriculture area in the County Cologne
(Bezirksregierung Köln 2013). The southern upstream part of the Rur basin is an
area with a low population density, so that for all administrative districts in
Eifel-Rur agriculture shows about 1–1.5 % of their gross domestic product. The
neighbouring administrative districts have about 0.5 % of their gross domestic
product in agriculture which shows that agriculture in Eifel-Rur is relatively
important (Landwirtschaftskammer Nordrhein-Westfalen 2012). For the County
Cologne, the agriculture area is mainly used for cereals, root crops (e.g. sugar
beets), maize and fodder. Stockbreeding covers mainly cattle and poultry. Past
drought episodes with consequences for agriculture in the area are very limited.
Also the possibility for irrigation is low—with ca. 5 % of the agricultural land. As
an example, in 2009, only half of the land which has irrigation infrastructure was
actually irrigated (Landwirtschaftskammer Nordrhein-Westfalen 2012). However,
in the lower downstream area negative water balance during dry summers is seen as
a problem for agriculture, although with a low intensity.
In the Salland region, main water use for agricultural purposes is the irrigation
of crops and grass. Both groundwater and surface water are used for irrigation. In
the 1980s, drainage and groundwater extraction for irrigation and drinking water
caused desiccation, which damaged the agricultural areas and the nature areas that
were sensitive to the changes in groundwater level. As a result, irrigation with
groundwater was banned in the 1990s and 2000s when the water sufficiency was
threatened for drinking and industrial uses and for nature areas. However, some
agricultural areas have already become dependent on irrigation. This dependency
implies that the agricultural areas can dry out without irrigation, which can lead to
significant decreases in agricultural production. The vulnerability of these irrigated
agriculture practices is expected to worsen also as a result of the increasing pressure
for protecting the nature areas that are sensitive to groundwater levels.
The Vilaine catchment is a rich agricultural area, where tourism, industry and
navigation are also among the major economic sectors that demand water. Main
agricultural crops grown include cereals for animal feeding (Bouraoui et al. 2009), and
market-oriented gardening, such as cauliflowers, in the eastern part of the catchment.
A diversity of agricultural profile can be pointed out all around the catchment.
In 1976, 1989 and 2003, severe droughts were experienced in France, which also
10 Cross-cutting Perspective on Agriculture
205
The 1996, 2006 and 2011 droughts were recognized as agricultural disasters, and
affected farmers were financially compensated (Chap. 7, UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs Division of Sustainable Development 2004). The
expected decrease in summer precipitation—coupled with a possible increase in
summer water demand due to higher temperatures, in particular if irrigation
becomes a widespread agricultural practice—can lead to a further lack of water
availability and problems for the agricultural sector in Flanders (UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs Division of Sustainable Development 2004).
Among the different administrative districts in the Eifel-Rur area, the northern
downstream area is more characterized by agriculture. The administrative district of
Heinsberg, which covers the downstream area of Eifel-Rur is with 65 % the district
with the highest percentage of agriculture area in the County Cologne
(Bezirksregierung Köln 2013). The southern upstream part of the Rur basin is an
area with a low population density, so that for all administrative districts in
Eifel-Rur agriculture shows about 1–1.5 % of their gross domestic product. The
neighbouring administrative districts have about 0.5 % of their gross domestic
product in agriculture which shows that agriculture in Eifel-Rur is relatively
important (Landwirtschaftskammer Nordrhein-Westfalen 2012). For the County
Cologne, the agriculture area is mainly used for cereals, root crops (e.g. sugar
beets), maize and fodder. Stockbreeding covers mainly cattle and poultry. Past
drought episodes with consequences for agriculture in the area are very limited.
Also the possibility for irrigation is low—with ca. 5 % of the agricultural land. As
an example, in 2009, only half of the land which has irrigation infrastructure was
actually irrigated (Landwirtschaftskammer Nordrhein-Westfalen 2012). However,
in the lower downstream area negative water balance during dry summers is seen as
a problem for agriculture, although with a low intensity.
In the Salland region, main water use for agricultural purposes is the irrigation
of crops and grass. Both groundwater and surface water are used for irrigation. In
the 1980s, drainage and groundwater extraction for irrigation and drinking water
caused desiccation, which damaged the agricultural areas and the nature areas that
were sensitive to the changes in groundwater level. As a result, irrigation with
groundwater was banned in the 1990s and 2000s when the water sufficiency was
threatened for drinking and industrial uses and for nature areas. However, some
agricultural areas have already become dependent on irrigation. This dependency
implies that the agricultural areas can dry out without irrigation, which can lead to
significant decreases in agricultural production. The vulnerability of these irrigated
agriculture practices is expected to worsen also as a result of the increasing pressure
for protecting the nature areas that are sensitive to groundwater levels.
The Vilaine catchment is a rich agricultural area, where tourism, industry and
navigation are also among the major economic sectors that demand water. Main
agricultural crops grown include cereals for animal feeding (Bouraoui et al. 2009), and
market-oriented gardening, such as cauliflowers, in the eastern part of the catchment.
A diversity of agricultural profile can be pointed out all around the catchment.
In 1976, 1989 and 2003, severe droughts were experienced in France, which also
10 Cross-cutting Perspective on Agriculture
205