be transferred from other regions. However, the water boards differ in terms of the
practicality and costs of transferring water from other regions. For instance, WGS,
the regional water authority of Salland, has abundant water that could be transferred
to its region, whereas it is more difficult for Vechtstromen to bring water from other
regions. The positions regarding the responsibility of water authorities in providing
water to farmers differs between the water boards that have sloping areas and those
have mostly flat areas. The displacement chain is also implemented at the national
level to balance the water supply and demand in cases of extreme water shortages
by transferring water from abundant areas and sectors to scarce areas and sectors.
The decisions are taken by a national committee that involves representatives from
all provinces and the functioning of the whole system is controlled by the
Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch national water authority.
In the Vilaine catchment, there is little evidence on the interaction of national
and subnational levels regarding agricultural measures on drought resilience.
However, the implementation of CAP influences the agricultural production and
water consumptions at the farm level. As explained in Sect. 10.3, measures that
result from the CAP are fragmented from the other water- and agriculture-related
measures, since there is no regional agricultural water planning and management.
Regional water management plans however address drought and water scarcity
through enforcing limitations and bans on irrigation, especially during the summer
and in the sensitive areas.
The different actors and levels in the Somerset region build up a strong relationship and culture of cooperation. But the vulnerability of such relationships can
be seen after the flood events in 2013/2014. Discussions about the nature of the
floods and possible solutions eroded the confidence between the different stakeholders and actors pulled out of the circle. On the community level, especially
relevant for the implementation of agri-environmental measures, the Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group was seen. They are seen as an in-between agent between
environmental groups and farmers. But they are dependent on project funding and
therefore exists the risk of reduced activities in case of a reduction of funding.
Positive interlinkages between farmers and Internal Drainage Boards (IDB) exist.
IDBs are risk management authorities responsible for maintaining rivers, drainage
channels, pumping stations, etc. IDB was noticed as a group that is very responsive
to farmers’ needs. A good relationship was also built up between the local National
Farmers Union (NFU) and the farming community. Room for improvement is seen
for the relationship between farmers and statutory bodies. Their relationship is not
characterized by an open discussion culture but rather by punishment.
A diversity of governance levels and their interactions is observed in the
North-west Europe region. In Flanders and Somerset, subnational stakeholders such
as farmer organizations and regional water authorities closely collaborate. In other
cases, the relevant EU policies explicitly drive cross-level interactions, while there
is little evidence that these directly influence the adaptation of the agricultural sector
to drought and water scarcity conditions. In the Eifel-Rur, Salland and Twente
cases, the WFD requirements create multilevel interactions, such as the
10 Cross-cutting Perspective on Agriculture
211
practicality and costs of transferring water from other regions. For instance, WGS,
the regional water authority of Salland, has abundant water that could be transferred
to its region, whereas it is more difficult for Vechtstromen to bring water from other
regions. The positions regarding the responsibility of water authorities in providing
water to farmers differs between the water boards that have sloping areas and those
have mostly flat areas. The displacement chain is also implemented at the national
level to balance the water supply and demand in cases of extreme water shortages
by transferring water from abundant areas and sectors to scarce areas and sectors.
The decisions are taken by a national committee that involves representatives from
all provinces and the functioning of the whole system is controlled by the
Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch national water authority.
In the Vilaine catchment, there is little evidence on the interaction of national
and subnational levels regarding agricultural measures on drought resilience.
However, the implementation of CAP influences the agricultural production and
water consumptions at the farm level. As explained in Sect. 10.3, measures that
result from the CAP are fragmented from the other water- and agriculture-related
measures, since there is no regional agricultural water planning and management.
Regional water management plans however address drought and water scarcity
through enforcing limitations and bans on irrigation, especially during the summer
and in the sensitive areas.
The different actors and levels in the Somerset region build up a strong relationship and culture of cooperation. But the vulnerability of such relationships can
be seen after the flood events in 2013/2014. Discussions about the nature of the
floods and possible solutions eroded the confidence between the different stakeholders and actors pulled out of the circle. On the community level, especially
relevant for the implementation of agri-environmental measures, the Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group was seen. They are seen as an in-between agent between
environmental groups and farmers. But they are dependent on project funding and
therefore exists the risk of reduced activities in case of a reduction of funding.
Positive interlinkages between farmers and Internal Drainage Boards (IDB) exist.
IDBs are risk management authorities responsible for maintaining rivers, drainage
channels, pumping stations, etc. IDB was noticed as a group that is very responsive
to farmers’ needs. A good relationship was also built up between the local National
Farmers Union (NFU) and the farming community. Room for improvement is seen
for the relationship between farmers and statutory bodies. Their relationship is not
characterized by an open discussion culture but rather by punishment.
A diversity of governance levels and their interactions is observed in the
North-west Europe region. In Flanders and Somerset, subnational stakeholders such
as farmer organizations and regional water authorities closely collaborate. In other
cases, the relevant EU policies explicitly drive cross-level interactions, while there
is little evidence that these directly influence the adaptation of the agricultural sector
to drought and water scarcity conditions. In the Eifel-Rur, Salland and Twente
cases, the WFD requirements create multilevel interactions, such as the
10 Cross-cutting Perspective on Agriculture
211