Water retention and ecological water replenishment: from now on, every idea will go into your pocket

(Photo: Tamás Cselószki)

In recent years – especially after the record drought in 2022 – a paradigm shift has begun in agriculture and the country’s water management, which, instead of quickly draining water, is looking for technical solutions and, above all, suitable locations for water retention and the utilization of water in the landscape. A good example of the latter is the Water in the Landscape! program, in which farmers can offer their land for flooding. In the absence of adequate financial incentives or compensation for farmers, the change in attitude has been very slow so far, despite the fact that temporarily flooded areas and small wetlands are no longer excluded from the area-based basic payment of the Common Agricultural Policy. Moreover, additional support can be obtained for them in agri-environmental management and agri-ecological programs. The call for applications, which opens a long-awaited support called “Investments promoting the creation and maintenance of semi-natural and wetland habitats”, is intended to further encourage the change in landscape use, especially farmers’ willingness to retain water. In contrast to the previously published and largely unsuccessful calls for similar purposes, the amount of support available for both creation and maintenance is spectacularly high this time. 958 euros/hectare can be requested for the creation of wetlands, and 911 euros/hectare per year for maintenance. Of course, the point lies in the details, which are also promising. One of the objectives of the support is to create wetlands by retaining inland waters appearing in areas used for arable or grassland, and by rewetting the areas.

Ecological water replenishment is permitted, but irrigation from the created wetlands is prohibited

The other activity eligible for support is the creation of grass and shrub strips on arable land, primarily for soil protection purposes. Both priorities fill a gap in their own right. There will be three application phases in 2026, the first of which will open on February 19 with a deadline of March 21. The total budget of the support is HUF 12.8 billion, which includes the funding requirements for erosion control (creation of shrub and grass strips) and the creation of wetlands, as well as 5-year maintenance. “The January snow cover is particularly fortunate, as we hope that the gradual melting will nicely outline the deeper areas prone to inland water, which can help farmers in their planning. The moisture-loving, herbaceous vegetation (sedge, reed) that occasionally appears on the fields also indicates the periodic water saturation of the soil and helps in marking and demarcating the locations. Water does not know plot boundaries, so the evaluation system also encourages cooperation between neighboring farmers with extra points. The best medium for water retention is soil, so in addition to filling reservoirs and canals, replenishing the soil’s water resources is the most urgent task, since according to estimates, 40-200 mm of moisture is missing from the surface, depending on the region,” said Péter Kajner, an expert in the WWF Hungary Living Rivers program.

Expert NGOs see great prospects in the appearance of the application

It also fits the objectives of the MERLIN Horizon project, which promotes nature-based water management solutions, and the Living Danube Partnership 2.0 program operating at the watershed level, in which WWF Hungary participates in the Upper Tisza, with the Bereg reservoir area. The Tisza Valley Innovation and Climate Adaptation Association (TIKE) organizes farmer forums with the cooperation of WWF Hungary to explain the support opportunity and answer any questions that arise. The forums are aimed at farmers and local governments, and employees of water management directorates and national parks also participate in them. Multi-faceted participation helps to discuss agricultural, water management and nature conservation professional issues. The goal is to receive as many successful applications as possible, and after the assessment, as many new wetland habitats as possible can enrich our agricultural areas. This is an important component of the spread of mosaic landscape use with numerous advantages. Tamás Cselószki, on behalf of TIKE, highlighted: “The application offers an excellent opportunity and finally fair financing for the much-talked-about change of landscape use in low-lying areas. The farmer therefore receives fair support so that he does not plow the former water levels any longer, but leaves them to nature, and at the same time helps to retain the waters.”

WWF