Collaboration is needed for successful water management

By: STA Date: 2025. 06. 03. 09:00

We can only achieve results in the field of water management by collaborating and changing our perspective: the cooperation of farmers, the water sector, local governments and the state is necessary – emphasized Imre Hubai, the State Secretary for Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture at the professional event of the National Association of Water Management Associations, on Monday, in Maroslele.

(Photo: AM/Csaba Pelsőczy)

At the event, the State Secretary reminded that responsible water management is essential for successful agricultural production, which is of paramount importance not only for the actors in agriculture, but also for future generations. “We must cooperate with nature, which can be done by improving the organic matter content and water-binding capacity of the soil, increasing the evaporative surfaces and retaining water in the landscape,” he highlighted. He then added that changing the current practice of water management and spreading long-term sustainable methods play an important role in adapting to climate change in order to ensure that agricultural water demand can be met.

Imre Hubai highlighted that the Ministry of Agriculture aims to continuously and significantly increase the size of irrigated areas and to approach 350 thousand hectares by 2030

The ministry supported more than 1,300 water management projects in the Rural Development Program, amounting to more than 168 billion forints. As a result, the irrigated area expanded by 32 thousand hectares, and many old infrastructures were renovated. Within this, more than 130 irrigation communities received non-refundable support, amounting to almost 10 billion forints. He explained that the application of water-conserving management practices is further encouraged within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan. The tenders prioritize technical solutions that take into account the scarcity of surface and groundwater resources and, accordingly, result in maximum water savings. Accordingly, the ministry has announced two calls. The budget for the tender for the implementation of larger, more complex irrigation development investments is HUF 49.3 billion, while the smaller call is available with a budget of HUF 16.5 billion. According to the State Secretary, we also need to review some of our traditions in order to retain water: for example, non-rotation tillage can help in the application of the VízŐr technology. In addition, in the field of crop production, greater emphasis must be placed on more drought-tolerant varieties, and we must manage the existing groundwater and precipitation in a much more disciplined manner than ever before.