Adapting to climate change: examples from the Netherlands

Higher water levels and more space for water will fundamentally change the way our coastal lowlands are being managed. Appropriate conservation, adaptation and mitigation actions need to take place in the context of sustainable development. In the Netherlands, adaptation measures focus on the water management system as well as the spatial planning. The selection of adaptation measures, mainly depends the type of land use. For the three major types of land types, i.e. the low-lying peatlands in the western part of the country, the higher sandy soil areas in the east and southeast and the marine clay areas in the reclaimed polder areas, adaptation measures, for both agriculture and nature, adaption strategies are discussed

Demand Driven Education: Report on the Education Innovation Project 'Design in Land and Water Management in a Demand Driven Learning Environment'

In the fifth period of the academic year 2008/2009 the chair groups Irrigation and Water Engineering (IWE) and Land Degradation and Development (LDD) organized a new course, i.e. Design in Land and Water Management 2 (IWE- 21312). The course is part of the BSc program International Land and Water Management (BIL). The decision to develop the course can be seen as a measure to ensure that BIL-graduates understand, can analyze, and are able to engage in and to advise on typical design processes as part of their professional practice as irrigation and soil- and water conservation experts

Interceptor drainage modelling to manage high groundwater table on the Abyek Plain, Iran

High groundwater tables and soil salinity are a serious threat to agricultural areas, especially on the Abyek Plain, Iran. An interceptor drainage system was installed to lower the groundwater head and control soil salinity. Simulation is an appropriate approach to investigate possible groundwater behaviour in future conditions and to explore suitable designs for implementation. Ninety‐nine observation wells were installed around the interceptor drainage system in the Abyek Plain to monitor groundwater movement and salinity changes. Groundwater table fluctuation was measured monthly for 3 years from December 2010 until January 2014. A MODFLOW model was calibrated for the study area using the data measured through the observation wells. Assessment of the measured values indicated that the groundwater head was lowered within the 3 years due to the installation of the system. A calibrated model was applied to predict the future conditions of groundwater levels and suggest proper designs. Groundwater level drawdowns were predicted at approximately 1.3 and 1.5 m for August 2018 and August 2025, respectively. The results also revealed that with the installation of additional parallel interceptor drainage at a distance of 1000 m from the existing drainage, the groundwater table could be lowered in a large area of the plain

The Rural Household Multi-Indicator Survey (RHoMIS): A rapid, cost-effective and flexible tool for farm household characterisation, targeting interventions and monitoring progress towards climate-smart agriculture

RHoMIS is a rapid, cheap, digital farm household-level survey and analytical engine for characterizing, targeting and monitoring agricultural performance. RHoMIS captures information describing farm productivity and practices, nutrition, food security, gender equity, climate and poverty. RHoMIS is action-ready, tested and adapted for diverse systems in more than 7,000 households across the global tropics. Want more info? See: http://rhomis.net