The Medway is the UK's ‘Fruit Basket’, producing strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and other soft fruit grown in polytunnels. It is also home to extensive 'top' and 'stone' fruit orchards. Around one third of the UK’s strawberries are sourced from here and the regional soft fruit sector in particular, a major water consumer, continues to grow.
However, the River Medway is also over abstracted and highly altered. Climate change and population growth impacts exert further pressures on already limited water resources.
The Holistic Water for Horticulture [HWH] project, led by the South East Rivers Trust, works with growers across the South East, with emphasis on the Medway. Launched in May 2019, HWH builds collaborative action and promotes best practise around holistic water management for a more resilient horticultural sector and food supply chain.
What action are we taking?
- Working with growers and the supply chain towards a more water resilient sector through water stewardship. We make free farm visits to discuss water issues and produce a free farm plan based on our findings and recommendations.
- Developing a series of demonstration sites across the Medway to test, develop and showcase best practice in holistic water management measures such as rainwater harvesting/storage for irrigation resilience and nature-based solutions – such as floral plots, wetlands and tree planting to reduce runoff impacts.
- We are promoting the use of a simple rainwater harvesting tool to support decision making and planning around water security for soft fruit growers. Growers add information such as their postcode, crop type, irrigation data and polytunnel area to obtain informative output.
- We have developed water resilience maps for risk using remote data around irrigation of covered crops and runoff/erosion risk. Using aerial photography and spectral signatures, we have developed an accurate, low-cost methodology to map polytunnels across the Medway and plan to expand its scope.
- The project is linked to a government Environmental Land Management (ELM) Test and Trial to harness growers' views, experience and appetite for environmental measures and nature recovery. As part of this, we are carrying out surveys with growers to gather baseline information about engagement with current agri-environment schemes and advice. “Deep dive” workshops have been held.
What impact are we having?
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At a demonstration site on the Hoo Peninsula (an area of low rainfall presenting a possible future scenario of how climate change may affect growers in the South East), we are scoping rainwater harvesting and storage measures as well as interventions to reduce runoff.
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At a second cluster of demonstration sites along the Beult we are working to promote rainwater harvesting and storage options from new generation polytunnels to improve irrigation water security. We are also helping develop and demonstrate the use of wetlands, floral plots and riparian tree planting to reduce runoff impacts.
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We have recently established a top fruit demonstration site on the banks of the river Teise, where we are working with the grower to design and deliver an integrated system comprising a reservoir for winter storage coupled with a system of reed beds and wetlands to improve water quality and support local biodiversity.
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Grower engagement: SCALGO and SCIMAP software has been used with selected growers for local scale site characterisation and “real time” scoping of measures such as attenuation features and reservoirs, and has generated significant interest.
What are our future plans?
- Expanding our grower and business base to spread the word about water stewardship benefits.
- Further development of demonstration sites.
- Expanding into the top and stone fruit sectors, seeking engagement with growers who might benefit from a free farm visit and farm plan with recommendations to improve water resilience.
- Improving tools on risk and resilience to support grower engagement.
- Ongoing discussion with growers about the development of the ELM schemes, including further workshops.
- Developing grower dialogue around carbon, Replenish and Biodiversity Net Gain.
“The Medway is an important sourcing region for M&S – particularly for fruit like soft fruit. It’s vital we come together to protect this catchment and the ecosystem services we all benefit from. Through the sharing of best practice and expert advice within the Holistic Water for Horticulture project, growers can be better equipped to become more resilient to the increasing threat of climate change and part of a more sustainable supply chain.”
For more information please visit The Holistic Water for Horticulture Platform
Launched in December 2020, the platform contains information on the project, resources, support messages from stakeholders, and a form where growers can make requests for a free farm visit and farm plan.