Farm systems that produce good water quality for drinking water supplies (FAIRWAY)
Safe drinking water is vital for human health and the economy. Fairway project was established to review the current approaches and measures for the protection of drinking water resources against pollution caused by pesticides and nitrate from agriculture in the EU, and to identify and develop innovative approaches to more effective drinking water protection. One of the specific project objectives is to review, demonstrate and evaluate decision support tools (DSTs) offering advice, training and communication related to the protection of drinking water quality for a range of end users.
FAIRWAY uses a multi-actor approach to facilitate effective cooperation between actors from different sectors and levels, including farmers, advisors, drinking water companies, scientists and policy makers. Successful practices have been identified in 13 case studies in 12 countries. The practical experience generated within the case studies are being analysed in multi-actor platforms (MAPs) and different thematic work packages to identify the barriers and success factors associated with achieving water quality targets. In Slovenia the case study lies in Dravsko polje which is an alluvial plain of the river Drava, in north-eastern Slovenia. As water is a resource of national importance, it is in general regulated by the state. The area is characterized by a continental to sub-continental climate and is suitable for intensive agricultural production (intensive arable and livestock). FAIRWAY opens new areas of research dealing with social aspects of organising official multifactor platform (e.g. water partnerships) as proposed by WFD, where stakeholders associated with the water body can equally discuss environmental and agricultural measures focused on water quality and adopt common decisions that are binding for all parties. FAIRWAY can answer to the questions regarding efficiency of national and common EU policies and expert and research knowledge transfer in to the practice which reflects in water quality status. Establishing a MAP will contribute to the formalisation of current occasional meetings of farmers with government. Expanding the MAP to include informed stakeholders with sufficient knowledge could allow the problems to be solved and misunderstandings cleared.
Projekt FAIRWAY vključuje več sektorski pristop, ki vzpodbuja učinkovito sodelovanje med akterji iz različnih sektorjev in nivojev, vključno s kmeti, svetovalci, vodnimi gospodarstvi, znanstveniki in političnimi odločevalci. Dobre prakse so bile prepoznane na 13 pilotnih primerov v 12 državah. Praktične izkušnje, pridobljene na pilotnih območjih, so predmet analize vzpostavljene več sektorske platforme (MAP) in tematskih delovnih sklopih. Namen analize je prepoznati ovire in pozitivne dejavnike, ki vplivajo na kakovost vode. V Sloveniji je pilotni primer lociran na Dravskem polju, na naplavinski ravnini reke Drave v severovzhodnem delu Sloveniji. Ker je vodni vir državnega pomena, je reguliran s strani države. Za območje je značilno celinsko do podkontinentalno podnebje in je primerno za intenzivno kmetijsko proizvodnjo (intenzivno poljedelstvo, živinoreja). Projekt FAIRWAY odpira nova raziskovalna področja, ki se ukvarjajo s socialnimi vidiki vzpostavitve več sektorske platforme (npr. Vodna partnerstva), kot jo predlaga WFD, kjer lahko zainteresirane strani, povezane z vodnimi telesi, enako obravnavajo okoljske in kmetijske ukrepe, usmerjene v kakovost vode, in sprejmejo skupne, zavezujoče odločitve. FAIRWAY lahko odgovori na vprašanja glede učinkovitosti nacionalnih in skupnih politik EU ter prenosa strokovnega in raziskovalnega znanja v prakso, ki se odraža v kakovostnem stanju voda. Vzpostavitev MAP bo prispevala k formalizaciji trenutnih, občasnih srečanj kmetov z vlado. Razširitev MAP na vključene, informirane deležnike z zadostnim znanjem bi lahko podprla reševanje problemov in odpravljanje nesporazumov.
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