Medway, UK: Water Roadmap Collective Action Project
Restoring water and biodiversity to protect fruit supply in one of the UK’s most important growing regions.
The Medway catchment in Kent, South East England is the UK’s “fruit basket”, with the region producing £332 million worth of fruit every year. But in one of the driest regions of the UK, growers rely on irrigation to produce one third of all strawberries, 90% of cherries and half of all plums grown across the nation. Coupled with intensifying climate challenges that bring both droughts and flooding, water demand is rising. This isn’t only an environmental risk for river health - long-term fruit production and supply chain stability is at risk, too.
Part of the UK Food and Drink Pact’s Water Roadmap, the Collective Action Project in Medway brings together growers and businesses to build water resilience across the catchment. Delivered in partnership with the South East Rivers Trust, we’re securing future fruit production by building water self-sufficiency on farms, implementing nature-based solutions and fostering collaboration across the supply chain.
Our impact in Medway, UK 2022-2025
Download the Collective Action Project Impact Summary for Medway, UK
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Social Impact
Over 345 farmers and 35 suppliers engaged on collective water stewardship.
Workshops, farm visits and demonstration events are strengthening knowledge sharing between businesses, suppliers and farmers, and have supported the creation of Kent’s first Water Abstraction Group and the North East Kent Farm Cluster. -
Environmental Impact
23 million+ litres of potential water to be harvested from nature-based and on-farm solutions.
11 farms now have active management plans to reduce over-reliance on irrigation from catchment water sources and harvest water for crops through solutions like rainwater harvesting, wetland creation and land improvements. -
Economic impact
£214,000 in co-funding to strengthen water resilience and protect fruit production.
The project has attracted additional funding for research, consultations and interventions that protect the supply of strawberries, cherries, plums, apples and more high-value crops sourced from the Medway catchment.
Environmental Impact
Installed and planned interventions have the potential to secure more than 23 million litres of water through nature-based solutions like polytunnel rainwater harvesting and transforming areas into wetlands, reducing pressure on rivers during peak irrigation periods.
To strengthen the ecological health of the Medway catchment, we’re improving water quality by tackling soil erosion and nutrient runoff from farms. Floodplain restoration alongside new orchard and woodland creation is restoring biodiversity and water quality while also capturing carbon in revitalised habitats instead of releasing it as greenhouse gases.
At West Pikefish Farm, a 3.5 hectare area that was no longer used as an orchard is being restored into a mosaic of wetland, grassland, and riparian habitats that naturally captures and stores for crop irrigation whilst enhancing biodiversity.
Economic impact
In addition to funding from businesses committed to this Collective Action Project, activity has attracted an additional £214,000 to accelerate practical water resilience solutions and reduce dependency on single water sources for crops. This includes investment in rainwater harvesting infrastructure, floodplain restoration, wetland creation and advanced water mapping tools.
For businesses sourcing from the region, this is strengthening the future continuity of domestic fruit supply during drought.
Project feature: From mains to rain: water resilience for fruit production at Mockbeggar Farm
When drought hit hard, this family farm was supported through the project to use nature-based solutions and keep water flowing for crops – and it’s now a model for others.
Why we’re working in Medway
The Collective Action Project in Medway is balancing the need for reliable food supply with nature restoration and healthier water systems. This catchment is one of the UK’s largest agricultural areas for soft fruit and berries, but it’s experiencing severe water stress and is falling far short of good ecological water status.
In an area that receives up to 40% less rainfall than the rest of the country, growers depend heavily on irrigating crops from natural water sources over the spring and summer months. And with climate projections predicting 30-50% less summer rainfall in the future, drought and irrigation becomes more likely – but this isn’t a future problem, we’ve already seen growers forced to scale back crops during droughts in recent years. Ecosystems are also compromised due to human activity and pollution, putting food production at higher risk of droughts, flooding and deteriorating water quality.
Without action, businesses sourcing from the Medway and growers alike face growing disruption, constraints, and potential reputational risks associated with unsustainable water use.
Through the Water Roadmap Collective Action Project, growers, businesses and local partners are building the foundation for sustainable water management. By focusing on solutions such as rainwater harvesting and storage to sharing knowledge and developing farm management plans, we’re protecting water, food production and the food supply chain.
“It seems obvious to say it, but we cannot do our job, and we cannot grow fruit, without water. Unless we get better at saving it, we will not have enough. We want to do the right thing, and we are very conscious that saving water is the right thing to do for us as an investment in the future, economically, and environmentally; but it is also the right thing to do for the community and the South East.”
Project feature: How West Pikefish Farm is restoring nature and water for climate-proof fruit production
A flood-prone orchard is being redesigned into a wetland and winter storage lagoon, strengthening this Medway grower’s water self-sufficiency and reducing supply-chain disruption risk.
Where we’re working in the Medway region
Locally led,
nationally supported
Action to protect water resources in Medway
The Medway Collective Action Project combines local delivery with national supply chain backing. Through the UK Food and Drink Pact’s Water Roadmap and working with our delivery partner South East Rivers Trust, WRAP and food and drink businesses provide funding and collaborate with growers to adopt practical measures that restore biodiversity and protect water resources across the catchment.
By connecting farm level action with supply chain investment, the project is driving tangible change for sustainable water management and protecting the surrounding ecosystems in the Medway catchment.
Project feature: Collective action to navigate water reform and protect fresh produce supply in South East England
A major shift in water rules put farmers at risk of losing the irrigation they rely on. Through the project, farmers, retailers, regulators and NGOs came together to understand the reforms, plan ahead, and secure sustainable water for future production.
Help restore and protect water for food production
Join the Water Roadmap
Water resilience in the Medway is essential to domestic food security and long-term sourcing stability. We invite every business that benefits from the region to step up, champion water stewardship across their supply chains, and support the next phase of this Collective Action Project.
In collaboration with our Collective Action Project funders for Medway and generous support from the Retail Leadership Commitment:
- Aldi
- Belu Water
- Co-op
- Lidl
- Marks & Spencer
- Ocado
- Sainsbury's
- Tesco
- Waitrose