MAGDA Project Hits Milestone in Beaune, France

This week marked a significant milestone for the MAGDA Project as the Mid-term Review Meeting was held in the city of Beaune, France. Over the course of two days, the consortium gathered to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the progress achieved during the first half of the project. Reflecting on past achievements, the gathering also...

Regional Workshop on Increasing Investments in Early Warning Systems Held in Bangkok

FutureWater aims to support the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the development of a new multi-hazard Early Warning System (EWS) facility, addressing the significant exposure to disaster risks of the developing member countries (DMCs). The enhancement of multi-hazard EWS aligns with global commitments, such as the Paris Agreement, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Sustainable Development Goal...

Innovation in Progress: Unveiling the Co-created SOSIA+ Solution

This article is originally from Partners for Water Ghana, like many other Sub-Saharan African countries, is experiencing extreme drought and irregular weather patterns. These climate change challenges are expected to increase and require adaptation and mitigation measures. To adapt, farmers need localised, climate smart irrigation advice. TU Delft, FutureWater, Holland Greentech and TAHMO are making...

Second Part of Training on Water Accounting Successfully Held in Pakistan

This week, the second part of the Water Accounting Training for the Agriculture, Climate and Water Sector Organizations in Pakistan has been successfully completed at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) office in Islamabad, Pakistan. As an agrarian economy that heavily depends on water, it is crucial for Pakistan to adopt a more...

FutureWater Develops a New Methodology for Mapping of Salinity Concentrations in the Mekong Delta

The latest Catch and Culture newsletter (pages 38-41), published by the Mekong River Commission Secretariat, features the pilot results of a new methodology for mapping of salinity concentrations (SIM) in the Mekong Delta. The method relies solely on satellite imagery and was developed and applied by FutureWater to support the 2023 MRC State of the...

Nature-based Solutions for Nigeria

Our resident Nature-based Solutions expert, Jack Beard, recently travelled to Nigeria to gather evidence to inform a forthcoming pre-feasibility assessment of the potential to develop the country’s first Watershed Investment Programme (WIP). This project is one of a growing number of engagements FutureWater is supporting for the Nature for Water Facility – an organisation seeking...

FutureWater Excels in FAO’s Water Scarcity Program: Accomplishing Water Accounting Capacity Building in Thailand

The second Water Accounting training under FAO’s Water Scarcity Program took place from 13 – 18 November in Bangkok. Participants from various governmental departments and academic institutions gained practical experience in utilizing different geospatial and water resources modeling tools for developing a water account.   As part of the Water Scarcity Program (WSP), FutureWater designed and...

FutureWater Delivered a Keynote Speech on the Role of Cryosphere in the Warming Climate at COP28

Tajikistan showcased leadership in climate resilience at COP28, organizing a session titled “Are we adapting? Integrating WEFE Nexus and climate services for effective climate change adaptation” on December 6, 2023, from 13:30 to 15:00 at the Tajikistan Pavilion (B2-18) in the Blue Zone of COP28, Expo City Dubai, UAE. This event brought together a diverse...

FutureWater Supporting Water Authorities in Mozambique: ARA-Norte and ARA-Sul Training

FutureWater recently completed a visit to Mozambique, collaborating with the regional water authorities in both the north (ARA-Norte) and south (ARA-Sul). The visit was part of the Blue Deal Mozambique program aiming to strengthen the cooperation between the Dutch and Mozambican water authorities. Additionally, the mission supported the GLOW Project funded by the Partners for...

Celebrating Success and Innovation: SOS-Water’s General Assembly Meeting

Utrecht University held the 13 Month SOS-Water General Assembly Meeting, which took place on the 17th and 18th of October. This two-day gathering included presentations on how work packages had been progressing and interesting discussions on how to move forward to meet the project’s objectives. FutureWater actively participated in group discussions, guided by experts from...

Stakeholder Consultations Held on Adaptation and Investment Planning, Georgia

Together with the Asian Development Bank, FutureWater visited and consulted ministries and other stakeholders in Tbilisi, Georgia. The objective was to get buy-in on the approach, present preliminary results, and identify gaps and scope for expanding the climate change assessment. Initial ideas on possible adaptation portfolios were presented, and priorities were discussed. The next step...

FutureWater-led Consortium Visited Tajikistan for the Water Sector Reformation

Last month, FutureWater, in partnership with Utrecht University and University of Friborg, embarked on a transformative mission to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, aimed at assisting the Tajik government with the Water Sector Reform Program. This crucial program endeavors to enhance water resource planning and allocation strategies across various river basin zones. The necessity for such initiatives has...

SPHY Webinar 2023 – A Resounding Success!

Last Tuesday was a fruitful day for the SPHY community as FutureWater (FW) with support from Utrecht University (UU) and Centre for Applied Soil Science and Biology of the Segura (CEBAS) and Wageningen University (WUR) hosted the SPHY Webinar 2023. We were thrilled with the large turnout, both from those who joined us in Wageningen...

Empowering Ghanaian Farmers Through Innovative Irrigation: The SOSIA+ Project

For the development of SOSIA+, a smart irrigation tool tailored to small-scale commercial farmers, FutureWater joined forces with Holland Greentech, TU Delft, Stichting TAHMO, and the Kwadaso Agricultural College (KAC). The project is co-funded by Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) partners for water. The SOSIA+ project aims to optimize irrigation practices through the use of satellite...

FutureWater and HiView Deliver Informative Training on Remote Sensing and Climate Smart Agriculture

Last week FutureWater and HiView collaborated to provide a valuable training session focused on Remote Sensing and Climate Smart Agriculture. This event took place at the FutureWater office and was an integral part of the Shiraka Training Programme (STP) coordinated by The Hague Academy for Local Governance. Participants from the MENA region gained practical insights...

Invitation: SPHY Webinar on 10 October 2023

On Tuesday 10 October 2023 FutureWater presents the much-anticipated SPHY Webinar 2023. This event offers a unique platform for professionals and enthusiasts engaged with the Spatial Processes in Hydrology (SPHY) model to engage in in-depth discussions on recent advancements, transformations, and public engagement initiatives related to SPHY.  About SPHY  The SPHY model is a versatile...

Exploring Water Challenges and Solutions at Stockholm World Water Week

Stockholm World Water Week organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), witnessed active participation from various stakeholders last month. Among them, Brecht D’Haeyer, a dedicated volunteer and representative of FutureWater, contributed significantly to the event’s success. Brecht played a crucial role in ensuring the smooth execution of the intensive week, which featured over 300...

Fruitful Visit of FutureWater to Uzbekistan for the WE-ACT Project on Water Allocation in a Transboundary Basin

From June 19 – 30, FutureWater visited the IWMI Regional Representative Office for Central Asia in Tashkent as part of the Water Allocation Modelling within the WEACT project. The objective of this research visit was to gain insights into the water-related challenges under climate change and identify potential approaches to address these issues as well...

FutureWater Releases Key Findings of Comprehensive Climate Risk Study on Crop Production in Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco

FutureWater proudly presents the culmination of an extensive study on climate risk assessment for key crop production in Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco. The report is a significant contribution to the CREATE project (Cross-Border Climate Vulnerabilities and Remote Impacts of Food Systems of the EU, Turkey, and Africa), funded by the European Research Area Network (ERA-Net)...

Training Program on ‘Glacio-Hydrological Modelling under a Changing Climate in the Himalayas’ for Central Water Commission, Delhi, India

In support of climate change adaptation actions in the Himalayan region, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is collaborating with multiple partners at national and sub-national levels through the “Strengthening Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalayas (SCA-Himalayas)” project. The aim of this project is to enhance institutional capacities across the Indian Himalayan Region,...

FutureWater Provides Trainings on Nature- and Culture-based Solutions for Water Management

In April, FutureWater supported the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in delivering a programme to help support five place-based projects in Sudan, Egypt, India, Brazil and Uganda. These projects aimed to use the historical and cultural stories of specific places to find out how traditional knowledge...

Laos’ Capacity Strengthened to Use Climate and Disaster Risk Information Tools

The Asian Development Bank with support of FutureWater delivered a workshop on climate and disaster risk information tools in Laos. Several sector-focused training sessions were provided to ministry officials engaged in food security (19 June) and housing and transport (20 June). The training programme will be followed up by a hands-on training on the application...

FutureWater Empowers Water Resource Planning in Mozambique: Ara-Sul Receives WEAP Training

In June, FutureWater visited Mozambique for a training session on the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) model. The training was held at the Mozambique Regional Administration of Waters in the South (ARA-Sul) based in Maputo and was funded by the Blue Deal programme of the Dutch Water Authorities. The training on the WEAP model comprised...

Asian-Pacific Countries Gather for Workshop on Climate and Disaster Risk-informed Investments

FutureWater supported the Asian Development Bank with the organization of a regional workshop on climate and disaster risk-informed investments, which was held in Bangkok on 22-23 June. The objective of the workshop was to foster the integration of climate and disaster risk information into development agendas, to enhance resilience, ensure sustainability of development investments, and...

FutureWater Presents a New Tool to Quantitatively Assess the WEFe Nexus at the First Annual Meeting of BONEX in Jordan

The first annual meeting of BONEX took place from 30 May – 1 June in Jordan where all consortium partners came together to present their progress, highlight challenges and outline the next steps. The project aims to promote the practical implementation of water, energy, food and ecosystem (WEFe) nexus through context-adapted technological innovations across seven...

Fruitful Visit of FutureWater to Ghana for the SOSIA+ Project to Start Irrigation Advisory Field Trials

In May, FutureWater joined TU Delft, Tahmo and Holland Greentech for a trip to Ghana for the SOSIA+ project. During this week, the team further developed the dashboard and irrigation service, refining the dashboard’s usability, expanded crop choices, and optimized the layout. The team presented demonstrations to the irrigation engineers of Holland Greentech in both...

Revolutionary Flying Sensor Training Empowers Agricultural Advancements in Mozambique’s Zambeze Valley

 In a groundbreaking development, FutureWater and HiView successfully completed a comprehensive flying sensor training program for the Agency for Development of the Zambeze Valley (ADVZ) in early May. The ADVZ, a government agricultural institute providing assistance and advisory services to farmers across the vast Zambeze Valley, received training from ThirdEye Mozambique, a local drone company...

FutureWater Launched Its What-to-Plant Application for Farmers in Angola

Over the last months, FutureWater developed and launched its What-to-Plant application for the Mavo Diami project in Angola. The What-to-Plant service from FutureWater provides planting advice to farmers for the upcoming crop season, so that farmers can anticipate on which seeds to buy. The consortium will continue with keeping services operational so it can be...

FutureWater Course on Real Water Savings Now Available in the FAO E-learning Academy

In the context of the global water shortages and challenges for water savings in agricultural systems, this course introduces interventions and tools, and more specifically the real water savings in agricultural systems (REWAS) project, that aims to provide practical guidance on the implementation of real water savings. Text from FAO elearning Academy website. Audience This...

Romania Holds Preliminary Design Review Meeting for MAGDA Project, Setting the Stage for Further Progress

On May 22-23, FutureWater attended the Preliminary Design Review Meeting (PDR) for the MAGDA project in Bucharest, Romania. The meeting was hosted by the National Meteorological Administration, and it was a great opportunity for project partners to meet in person and present the latest achievements. The major outputs from the first six project months were...

FutureWater Presents Climate-Smart Agriculture Solutions at the El-Wadi Exhibition in Egypt

Last week, FutureWater joined a Dutch delegation to the El-Wadi Exhibition on climate and water smart agriculture in Upper Egypt. During the five-day mission, we presented our expertise and tools to help farmers prepare for the future. On the first day of the mission, we visited two large agricultural sites to learn about current farming...

Completion of Tailor-made Group Training on Building Data-driven Capacity for Ecosystem Services and Management in Iran

Funded by Nuffic as part of the Mena Scholarship Programme and requested by The Center for Conservation and Development of Sustainable Ecosystems (ZIPAK) in Iran, the training focused on providing participants with relevant hands-on experience in tools and techniques to enhance their capacity to manage (protected) ecosystems in Iran. Over the course of 10 days,...

New World Bank Report Higlights Land Restoration Opportunities in the Naryn River Basin, Kyrgyz Republic

The Kyrgyz Republic is one of the countries in Central Asia most vulnerable to land degradation and climate change impacts. Climate-related disasters and land degradation due to unsustainable land use practices already affect the rural and urban population, which depends on natural resources and critical infrastructure. The World Bank has just released a report outlining...

FutureWater Joins New EU Project Set to Catalyze the Shift to Climate-sensitive Transboundary Water Allocation and Management in Central Asia

The WE-ACT project, backed by the European Commission, is on a mission to revolutionize the allocation of water resources across borders by using digitalization tools for inclusive, forward-looking and climate risk-informed water allocation planning and management processes.    In January, FutureWater joined the kick-off of the Horizon Europe funded WE-ACT (Water Efficient Allocation in a Central...

New Study Led by FutureWater Shows That High Mountain Asia Faces Acute Climate Change Issues

High Mountain Asia (HMA) serves as a major water source for large rivers in Asia. HMA consists of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), surrounded by the mountain ranges of Tien Shan, Pamir, Hindu Kush, and the Karakoram in the west, the Himalayas in the south and southeast, and Qilian Shan in the east. Over 1.4 billion...

Training on Water Accounting Successfully Held in Pakistan

Last week, the first part of the Water Accounting Training for the Agriculture, Climate and Water Sector Organizations in Pakistan was successfully completed at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) office in Islamabad, Pakistan. This training has been designed by FutureWater and FAO as part of the Green Climate Fund funded...

FutureWater and HiView Provide Flying Sensor Acquisition and Training in Mozambique

FutureWater and HiView will provide the Agência de Desenvolvimento do Vale do Zambeze (ADVZ) in Mozambique with a dozen of new ‘Rapid Eye XS’ drone systems, as well as DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise NDVI systems. These will be used for extension services to farmers in the Zambezi Valley. Also, FutureWater and HiView will provide a...

Virtual Training Session on ‘Glacio-Hydrological Modeling’ for Central Water Commision (India)

For the operationalization of climate change adaptation actions in the Himalayan region, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supports multiple partners at the national and sub-national level through the project “Strengthening Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalayas (SCA-Himalayas)” to enhance the institutional capacities across the Indian Himalayan Region to plan, implement and mainstream...

FutureWater and HiView Give Lectures on Precision Agriculture with Flying Sensors

This week FutureWater, together with its partner HiView, gave two days of lectures at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, which partners with UNESCO. As part of their master degree, seven students were taught on the theory behind flying sensors (also known as drones), the different types of applications and how to use them in...

First Prototype of the New Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus Tool Ready for Testing

For the BONEX project, FutureWater visited the project partner University of Cordoba (UCO) to discuss the joint development of the enhanced Water-Energy-Food-ecosystem tool, based on the REWAS tool that was co-developed with FAO. The team of  hydro-economists from UCO presented their recent research and developments in the project. Johannes Hunink presented the first prototype of...

Significant Increases in Water Productivity for Smallholder Farmers in Mozambique

FutureWater successfully completed the APSAN-Vale project in Mozambique, together with it’s partners Resilience BV, HUB and ThirdEye Mozambique. This project aimed to increase climate resilient agricultural productivity and food security, by increasing the water productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers in three areas in Mozambique: Báruè, Moatize, and Nhamatanda. The project prioritized small family sector...

Capacity Training on Using Climate and Disaster Risk Information Tools for Enhanced Decision Making in Lao PDR

FutureWater in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank provided training on Climate and Disaster Risk Information Tools for Enhanced Decision Making from 14-15th  February 2023 at Luang Prabang province in Laos.  Climate change and disaster risks present a serious and growing threat to sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific. ADB’s developing member countries, such...

SOSIA Project Successfully Completed after Insightful Field Visits in Zambia and Rwanda

“How long do you irrigate per day?” we asked Madame Christine, a small-holder farmer with an eye for business. “Well, I used to irrigate for up to three hours every day, but not anymore. I can now double my fields under cultivation and sell more crops while using the same amount of water!”  We received...

Tailor-made Training on Geospatial Data Skills Successfully Completed in Zambia

Solidaridad and FutureWater partnered to conduct a tailor-made training on ‘Geo-spatial data skills development for improved soil water management and enhanced crop productivity at the national level in Zambia’. The training project for the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) was a Tailor-Made Training (TMT), as part of the Orange Knowledge Programme, funded by Nuffic, and...

FutureWater Partners with the Nature for Water Facility

Over recent months, FutureWater has begun working with the Nature for Water facility to provide technical support to the development of watershed investment programmes globally. The facility aims to provide technical assistance to local “champions” who are developing Watershed Investment Programmes (or Water Funds) in their respective catchments. The facility aims to expedite the delivery...

HiFarm Project Successfully Completed in Kenya

This month the HiFarm project, a data driven agricultural intensification pilot program for maize, coffee and tea farmers in Kenya, was completed. The 18-month project improved farmer productivity whilst enhancing the environmental risk management and climate resilience of 60 lead farmers through improved soil and crop nutrition management. Over the past years FutureWater, leading company...

InfoSequia is part of the “Cajamar-INNOVA” Incubation Programme

InfoSequia, the Drought and Early Warning System (DEWS) developed by FutureWater, was granted for being part of the Cajamar-INNOVA Incubation Programme powered by Cajamar Fundation.  InfoSequia has been granted by Cajamar-INNOVA, a High-Tech Incubator/Accelerator focused on the Water and Agro sector. During the 6-month granted period, FutureWater’s staff is being mentored and supported by experts...

Training on Integrated Water Resources Modelling Completed in India

FutureWater and project partners organized a training programme on “Integrated Water Resources Modelling under a Changing Climate in the Indian Himalayas”, from 21-24 November 2022 at National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), New Delhi in collaboration with NIH. To promote water security in Himalayan states of India,...

FutureWater Attends Regional Workshop on Water Pillar in Uzbekistan

On November 29-30, FutureWater participated and supported the organization of the Regional Workshop on Establishing the CAREC Water Pillar, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Regional workshop served as a platform to discuss regional cooperation project activities that respond to the needs of the region where demand for water is increasing amid climate change, natural disasters and...

Stakeholder Meeting on Glacio-hydrological modelling successfully held in Uttarakand, India

A stakeholder meeting on Glacio-hydrological modelling and IWRM planning for a sub-basin in Bhagirathi Basin, Uttarakhand was organized on 25 November, 2022 by FutureWater and project partners, in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Government of Uttarakhand in Dehradun. SDC, as part of its strategy on climate change adaptation,...

FutureWater Shared Insights on the Performance of Global Gravity-based Groundwater Product in Zurich

Early September at the Global Gravity-based Groundwater Product (G3P) General Assembly in Zurich, FutureWater, along with 11 other consortium partners, gathered to present scientific results, project milestones, and discuss the way forward. For context, the G3P product monitors groundwater storage changes with global coverage at a monthly resolution (2002 – present) through a cross-cutting combination...

Fruitful Visit of Agência de Desenvolvimento do Vale do Zambeze to FutureWater

Early November Agência de Desenvolvimento do Vale do Zambeze (ADVZ) from Mozambique visited the FutureWater office in Wageningen, the Netherlands where a full day was planned with APSAN-Vale project partners Resilience, FutureWater and HiView. From FutureWater side Tijmen Schults and Lisa Verschuren provided an interesting presentation on the water productivity results of the passed season....

FutureWater Academy Training Platform Launched

In response to the pressing global challenges related to water, agriculture and ecosystem services, the availability of data and tools to support decision makers in these fields has grown rapidly in recent years. Public agencies, NGOs and researchers therefore need to continuously develop their capacity to make optimal use of these resources. To support our...

FutureWater Presented Two New Services at the TWIGA Final Conference

The TWIGA Final Conference was held on 11 and 12 July as a hybrid event in De Oude Bibliotheek in Delft, the Netherlands, and online. The event gathered on both days 27 participants present in person and 15 online, including consortium partners, representatives of two sister projects AfriCultuReS and e-Shape, Advisory Board members, and the...

Towards a Safe Operating Space for Water Resources in a Changing Climate and Society

Starting on the 1st of October, 2022, the SOS-Water Project, funded under the Horizon Europe scheme, will create a holistic and participatory assessment framework of a Safe Operating Space (SOS) for the entire water resources system to inform global and regional water management policies and pathways.  Water resources around the globe are under increasing stress....

Opportunities for Regional Cooperation and Water Resilience in Central Asia Identified

Early September, FutureWater supported the Asian Development Bank in an extensive consultation of key stakeholders of the five countries in Central Asia, on possible activities to be integrated in the CAREC Water Pillar: an investment vehicle for regional cooperation and climate resilience for the region. Many physical meetings took place with the key ministries involved...

Strategic Water Resources Options Prioritized for Rwanda

FutureWater and the Rwandan firm and consortium partner ENTREM presented interim results of the Integrated Strategic Water Resources Planning and Management project. The key objective of this study is to support the country on its path towards sustainable development towards 2050 by identifying strategies to better regulate and manage the available water resources through natural...

Training on Real Water Savings in Eight Countries Completed

Achieving water savings in agricultural systems is challenging and many projects in the past have failed to deliver the expected water savings. To achieve real water savings, FutureWater and FAO have organized training courses on Real Water Savings in Agricultural Systems (REWAS) in eight Asian countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Office of South...

Methodology Developed for Climate Change and Water Security Risk Tool

FutureWater is supporting the Asian Development Bank in developing the methodology for a new state-of-art Climate and Disaster Risk screening tool. The methodology behind the tool and the reports to be produced by the tool are currently undergoing an internal multi-sectoral consultation process. The goal is that the targeted users of the tool provide feedback...

Training on Assessing Lower Mekong Salinity Intrusion and Habitat Conditions Successfully Organized in Bangkok

Over the past year, FutureWater has supported Mekong River Commission (MRC) by developing and implementing a set of satellite remote sensing-based methodologies for evaluating the extent of Salinity Intrusion in the Mekong Delta (SIM), as well as the conditions of Riverine, Estuarine and Coastal Habitats (RECH) in the Lower Mekong Basin. The developed methods rely...

FutureWater Provided Training Course on Climate Smart Agriculture to Egyptian Agribusiness Professionals

Last week, Martijn de Klerk, Corjan Nolet, and Tijmen Schults provided an in-person training on Climate Smart Agriculture and geodata and modeling tools for participants representing SMEs from the Egyptian agricultural sector. The training was part of the SASPEN (Sustainable Agriculture Service provision Enterprise Network in Egypt) project, implemented by Care Egypt.  The training took...

Vacature: Senior Agricultural Water Expert

Job description 32/40 hours per week, location Wageningen, The Netherlands, starting date TBD FutureWater is looking for an experienced agricultural water expert for our expanding international activities, particularly in Asia and Africa, who has affinity with technical tasks but also appetite for leading and coordinating some of the projects. At FutureWater you work in a...

FutureWater visits Pakistan for Water Accounting Methodology Sharing Workshops and Stakeholder Consultations

On 25th July and 2nd August 2022, FAO Pakistan conducted a Water Accounting Methodology Sharing workshop in Lahore (Punjab) and Karachi (Sindh), respectively. Peter Droogers (Senior Hydrologist) and Tania Imran (Consultant) from FutureWater joined the workshop to deliver introductory sessions on the concept of water accounting and the potential use of remote sensing. The workshop...

Publication of UNCCD report: Climate Change and Land Degradation: Identification of High-Risk Value Chains

In May 2022, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) organized its fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, with the aim to unite governments, scientists, policymakers, the private sector and communities around a shared vision to restore and manage the world’s land. To demonstrate the need for national...

FutureWater Provided Training Course on Flying Sensors for Agricultural Systems as Part of TWIGA’s MapYourCrop Service

Early July, Martijn de Klerk, flying sensor expert at FutureWater and Jan van Til, operational manager at HiView, gave a one-week training at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya on the use of drones for agriculture. The course was part of the farm extension service ‘MapYourCrop’ developed by FutureWater, as part of the TWIGA project, with  partners HiView, Hydrologic and UFZ...

Applications to FAO-FutureWater Course on Real Water Savings in India Are Open!

Applications for the eLearning course Real Water Savings in Agriculture (REWAS) can be submitted starting today. This online course is organized by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and FutureWater at no costs and will be organized in August 2022. Focus will be on India. Participants will receive a FAO / FutureWater...

Flying Sensor Demonstration and Training in Mozambique as Part of the APSAN-Vale project

On 17 June associate Jan van Til from HiView accompanied his colleagues from ThirdEye at a presentation day for potential clients. ThirdEye is a Mozambican drone service company that was established in 2015 by FutureWater and HiView. At this day, that was partly held in a venue in Chimoio and partly in a field near...

Rewarding Kickoff Meeting for the CREATE Project in Ankara

Last week, FutureWater colleagues Brecht D’Haeyer and Asher Lazarus travelled to Ankara, Turkey, for the kickoff meeting of the CREATE project (Cross Border Climate Vulnerabilities and Remote Impacts of Food Systems of the EU, Turkey and Africa Trade Climate Risk and Adaptation). There, they met with partners from the host institution, Ankara University Water Management...

Meet the Rapid Eye XS – Revolutionary Small and Low-Cost Agricultural Drone

FutureWater’s partner HiView has completed the prototype of their latest innovation, the Rapid Eye XS. This ultra light drone is designed in the first place for the use in small scale agriculture, but has many other potential applications. It can process NDVI imagery on-board, and is very easy to use. FutureWater played a prominent role...

Exciting Kickoff in Málaga for a new PRIMA-EU Innovation Action project: ‘BONEX’

We are proud to be part of the winning consortium for a PRIMA-EU Innovation Action project. With 16 partners (academia and SME’s) under the lead of Bioazul we gathered in Málaga on 18 and 19 May for a successful, in-person Kickoff meeting of  BONEX (Boosting Nexus Framework Implementation in the Mediterranean). It was an energetic...

Succesful Field Visit of FutureWater to the APSAN-Vale Project in Mozambique

In April, Vera Hollander, Water Management Expert at FutureWater, visited Mozambique for the APSAN-Vale project. This project will demonstrate what the best combinations are of adoption strategies and technological packages, with the largest overall impact in terms of Water Productivity, both at the plot-level, sub-basin as well as basin-level. The project has as its overall aim to...

Training on Real Water Savings finished for Bangladesh, China and Indonesia

Last month, FutureWater concluded training programs on Real Water Savings for Bangladesh, China and Indonesia. This training was part of the project ‘Delivering Training on Real Water Savings (ReWaS) for the Regional Water Scarcity Program in Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Thailand and China’ that FutureWater is rolling out in cooperation with the Regional Office for Asia...

First Module of Tailor-made Training on Geo-spatial Data Skills Successfully Kicked-off in Zambia

Last week, first module of the Nuffic TMT training course on Geo-spatial data skills development was kicked-off at Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI).  Solidaridad is partnering with FutureWater to conduct a tailor-made training on ‘Geo-spatial data skills development for improved soil water management and enhanced crop productivity at the national level in Zambia’. The training...

Infosequia Is Now Part of the TWIGA Portal, a Platform That Brings Together Multiple Geoclimatic Services in Africa

InfoSequia is the Drought Early Warning and Forecasting System developed by FutureWater to support the decision-making and risk management of drought impacts. InfoSequia rests on an advanced cloud computing and geoprocessing architecture able to effectively integrate large volume of data from satellite, reanalysis and ground-observation networks, with machine learning techniques to generate local-tailored seasonal outlooks...

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Water Security: FutureWater Prepares NbS Options Factsheets for TNC

Recently, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has published a How-to Guide to Develop Watershed Investment Programs, accessible here. This important resource was designed to meet the needs of practitioners and investors across a variety of sectors who may wish to improve biodiversity, climate and water security outcomes by employing nature-based solutions. It comprises several components, including...

InfoSequia: Finalist in the 2nd Dinapsis Innovation Open Challenge

FutureWater recently submitted the InfoSequia solution to the 2nd Dinapsis Challenge, an innovation call launched by Dinapsis, the network of digital hubs of the Agbar group. This second challenge focused on innovative solutions and apps developed to cope with “Extreme weather events, optimization of water consumption, and management of wastewater”. 48 proposals were submitted to...

Video: Beneficiaries Share Their Experience on Using Geodata Innovations in Field Schools in Egypt

The project ‘A Practical Farmers Toolkit – Geodata for climate smart agriculture in Egypt’ has successfully finished last month. An exciting video was made, which gives a short overview of this agricultural project. An interactive training programme started in April 2021 with online training, field schools, and group projects. The ‘toolkit’ provided in this project...

Training Course on Flying Sensors for Agricultural Systems Kicked-off in Kenya

Today FutureWater and HiView kicked-off stage 2 of the Nuffic TMT training course on ‘Crop models and remote sensing for water management in agricultural systems’ at Egerton University in Nakuru, Kenya. After a series of online training courses in stage 1 last year, this in-country follow-up training focusses on flying sensors (drones) for agricultural systems....

Training to Enhance Agricultural Production in Iraq Completed Succesfully

The Nuffic TMT training on ‘Climate smart irrigation strategies to improve salinity control and enhance agricultural production in Iraq’, provided by FutureWater and Wageningen University, in collaboration with Basra University has been completed successfully. The training, using the FutureWater Moodle School, was aimed at building capacity of participants in accessing and using innovative public-domain data,...

FAO and FutureWater Putting Emphasis on Reuse of Water in Irrigation

Reuse of water in irrigation systems has been ignored to a great extent in developing and rehabilitating irrigation projects. Focus of many projects is on water withdrawals rather than on water consumption. Although this distinction between withdrawals and consumption might seem somewhat academic, it is important in a better understanding of irrigation systems. Moreover, it...

APSAN-Vale project in Mozambique extended till December 2022

We are very happy to announce that our APSAN-Vale project in Mozambique will be extended till December 2022! The APSAN-Vale project has as its overall aim to increase climate resilient agricultural productivity and food security, with a specific objective to increase the water productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers in Mozambique, prioritizing small (family sector)...

Farmer Field School Days Organized in Egypt as Part of a New Project for RVO

FutureWater has kicked off a new RVO project: A Practical Farmers’ Toolkit. The project is ongoing in 2021 and the consortium consists of Dutch and Egyptian partners. The Dutch partners are Delphy, Irriwatch, and HiView. Among the Egyptian partners are Cairo University and Bio Oasis. ​Water management in Egypt needs to cope with the increasing water scarcity issues. Especially the agricultural sector, being...

ThirdEye Limitada Provides Successful Drone Training for NCBA CLUSA Technicians in Mozambique

Last week FutureWater assisted ThirdEye Limitada (Central Mozambique) in providing a training on the use of drones for agricultural purposes for NCBA CLUSA technicians. The trainings and technical assistance for the NCBA CLUSA staff are provided in collaboration with project partner HiView (The Netherlands). Eight technicians of NCBA CLUSA were trained in using flying sensors...

FutureWater Continues Its Collaboration in Rwanda to Improve Sustainable Water Management Practices

After succesfully finishing the Bio-Physical Assessment and Hydrological Analysis for the Mukungwa and Akagera Lower catchments in Rwanda, FutureWater will remain active in Rwanda in a new project that has been granted to FutureWater and ENTREM Ltd. by FONERWA. In close collaboration with the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), we will work towards Integrated Strategic...

FAO Training Program on Real Water Savings Kicked Off in Thailand

This week the training program on Real Water Savings in Thailand was started. This training is part of the project ‘Delivering Training on Real Water Savings (ReWaS) for the Regional Water Scarcity Program in Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Afghanistan’ that FutureWater is rolling out in cooperation with the Regional Office for Asia and the...

New Invention in Fruit Growing: Fruit Frost Protection using Wind Turbines

Frost damage has been a frequent hazard for fruit growers in the Netherlands, getting worse with shifts in the growing season due to climate change. Wind machines can be a more sustainable alternative than sprinkling freshwater for frost protection, especially in regions where freshwater is limited or too brackish. Last spring, FutureWater and HiView conducted...

Newly Developed Farm Extension Service Launched: MapYourCrop

FutureWater, with TWIGA project partners HiView, Hydrologic and UFZ Helmholtz, have developed the farm extension service ‘MapYourCrop’. The MapYourCrop service uses drones, or flying sensors, to collect crop information with an unprecedented level of detail. What makes MapYourCrop unique is that flying sensor data is enriched with detailed crop status information collected by the smartphone...

Climate Risk and Adaptation (CRA) assessment for solar power plants and wind farm projects in Bhutan finished

FutureWater has undertaken a Climate Risk and Adaptation assessment (CRA), commissioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), for two solar power plant and one wind farm projects in Bhutan. The goal of the ADB project ‘Renewable Energy for Climate Resilience’ in Bhutan is to diversify Bhutan’s energy portfolio. The expectation is that climate change impacts...

Training to enhance agricultural production in Iraq starting next week

Next week the Nuffic TMT training will start on ‘Climate smart irrigation strategies to improve salinity control and enhance agricultural production in Iraq’, provided by FutureWater and Wageningen University, in collaboration with Basra University. The training, using the FutureWater Moodle School, is aimed at building capacity of participants in accessing and using innovative public-domain data,...

FutureWater and HiView give lectures on flying sensor applications

Last week FutureWater, together with its partner HiView, gave two days of lectures at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, which partners with UNESCO. As part of their master degree, seven students were taught on the theory behind flying sensors (also known as drones), the different types of applications and how to use them in...

New study led by FutureWater shows that High Mountain Asia faces challenges in water availability

High Mountain Asia (HMA) has the world’s largest ice and snow reserves outside the polar regions and is an important source of water for the major river systems in Asia, providing water for a population of more than a billion people. HMA has experienced many climatic changes which led to changes in the cryosphere and...

Using drones to attract youth into agribusiness and increase food production in Kenya

In Kenya, roughly 70% of the population is aged between 15-34. This age group is expected to double by the year 2050. Approximately 1 million young Kenyans enter the job market each year and only about 35% are absorbed into the formal job market. The remaining 65% end up unemployed or under employed. The agriculture...

Climate stress test finalized for Land Use Plan of Panama Canal river basin

FutureWater and IDOM have delivered the final report titled “Prognosis: Trends and Scenarios” developed in project “Indicative Land Use Plan for (PIOTA) for the Panama Canal Basin (PCB)”. The PIOTA-CHCP project, which is led by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) and funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aims to produce strategic guidelines to achieve...

The eco.business Development Facility and ETG Fund FutureWater to Support Sustainable Kenyan Agribusinesses

The eco.business Fund, in partnership with FutureWater and Export Trading Group (ETG), one of the largest integrated agricultural supply chain managers and processors in sub-Saharan Africa, has launched a pilot project in Kenya for data-driven agricultural intensification. This project aims to improve farmer productivity and profitability whilst enhancing the environmental risk management and climate resilience...

Press Release: EU Agricultural Imports Vulnerable to Future Climate Change

More than 44% of the European Union’s future agricultural imports, such as coffee, cocoa and soybean, could become highly vulnerable to drought by 2050 as a result of climate change, suggests a paper in Nature Communications. The findings highlight the increasing vulnerabilities of agricultural imports to climate change. The vulnerability of the agricultural sector to...

HiHydroSoil v2.0 now available on Google Earth Engine

We are excited to announce that our high resolution dataset with global maps for Soil Hydraulic Properties HiHydroSoil v2.0 is now available on Google Earth Engine!  It’s made available through the github page “Awesome GEE Community Datasets” by Samapriya Roy. A sample code on how to access the HiHydroSoil v2.0 dataset in Google Earth Engine...

FutureWater and SEI launch the WEAP Erosion Plugin

Erosion plays a critical role in soil and water resource conservation projects. The WEAP model (Water Evaluation And Planning Tool) is widely used for water planning assessments, but an erosion module was lacking so far. The new WEAP Erosion Plugin (WEP) will fill this gap. The new plugin, referred to as WEP (WEAP Erosion Plugin)...

FAO Water Report published featuring FutureWater’s work on Real Water Savings

We are proud to announce the publishing of the FAO Water Report No.46, which results from the work done in a FAO-funded FutureWater project on Real Water Savings. This publication provides clear and practical guidelines on realizing real water savings and selecting crop water productivity interventions. The approach for “following the water” is presented as...

eTrainings in Kenya: Flying sensors and remote sensing for water management in agricultural systems

In March and April 2021 FutureWater, together with HiView, is conducting a series of online training courses on flying sensors (drones), agricultural applications, hands-on processing and interpretation of aerial imagery, setting up a drone unit, the use of WaPOR to access remotely sensed derived data, and real water savings in Kenya. In a comprehensive course, HiView...

Training course on climate risk assessment for Panama Canal river basin started

This week a training to various experts in Panama has started on the use of the WEAP tool to assess climate risks and future water resources availability and demands. The training will focus on water users in the river basin belonging to the Panama Canal, including the water requirements for the operation of the canal...

Results from Pilot Project on ‘Cadastre Mapping with Flying Sensor Imagery in Mozambique’ Now Published

FutureWater conducted a very interesting and innovative pilot project for TerraFirma (Mozambique) on using flying sensor imagery for cadastre mapping. Flying sensor imagery was obtained through various flights in Quelimane, Mozambique for an area with small-scale agriculture. Field boundaries were determined with the flying sensor imagery using various classification and segmentation algorithms, namely R packages...

Kick-off eTraining on Flying Sensors for agricultural purposes in Jordan

On the 22nd of February we had the Kick-off event of the training on “Flying Sensors for agricultural purposes”. IHE Delft Institute for Water Education and the National Agricultural Research Center of Jordan (NARC) are collaborating with FutureWater and HiView in providing this tailor-made training. With a grand opening by both IHE Delft and NARC...

eTraining in Rwanda finished: Rwanda water professionals ready to use WEAP and Google Earth Engine

Last week FutureWater has finished the Tailor Made Training for the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB) on Water Allocation Modeling and Remote Sensing Analysis. We taught about 20 participants of the RWB how to work with the Water Evaluation And Planning model WEAP and the Remote Sensing platform of Google Earth Engine (GEE), state of...

eTraining in Malaysia and Vietnam: Real Water Savings in Agricultural Systems

Does drip irrigation lead to real water savings? What is the impact of changing the irrigation efficiency on basin scale water flows? How can water managers implement water savings technologies that lead to real water savings? FutureWater provided eTrainings to water managers from Vietnam and Malaysia about these subjects. A training manual and several supporting...

Mavo Diami services launched: Farmers now receive land suitability advice on their mobile phone

We reached a next step in the G4AW Project Mavo Diami in Angola. Farmers now receive land suitability advice for various crops on their mobile phone through a Telegram application. The application is called the KRES Service. Already up to 100 farmers are registered to this KRES Service, and the number of registrations is growing...

FutureWater organizes tailor-made training in Kenya on crop models and remote sensing for water management in agricultural systems

FutureWater, HiView and ThirdEye Kenya have partnered with Egerton University (Crops, Horticulture & Soils Department) to conduct a tailor-made training on ‘Crop models and remote sensing for water management in agricultural systems’. This training project is funded by the NUFFIC – TMT program. Aim of the training The training will enhance capacity of Egerton educational...

FutureWater releases new HiHydroSoil dataset: Global Maps of Soil Hydraulic Properties at 250m resolution

Today, FutureWater has released a new high resolution dataset containing global maps for Soil Hydraulic Properties: HiHydroSoil v2.0! It is the second generation HiHydroSoil dataset, after the first release in 2016. HiHydroSoil v2.0 is a definite upgrade of the first version, since it is build with higher quality input layers and with a higher spatial...

FutureWater has successfully started a new Tailor Made Training for the Rwanda Water Resources Board

We are pleased to announce that we have successfully hosted our first online webinar on our new Tailor Made Training for the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB) on Water Allocation Modeling and Remote Sensing Analysis. We will teach about 20 participants of the RWB how to work with the Water Evaluation And Planning model WEAP...

FutureWater contributes to the development of a robust land use plan for the Panama Canal River Basin

FutureWater and IDOM have successfully started a new project in Panama to support the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) with the challenges of the future such as regional development and climate change in the Panama Canal River Basin.  To meet the challenges of regional development and climate change that the Panama Canal river basin faces, the...

Launch of the FutureWater Moodle School for online training

Usually we travel all around the globe to provide tailor-made trainings to our local partners. We find it important to share the knowledge and tools we develop at FutureWater that benefit water management. During COVID-19 times and the coinciding travel restrictions we need to adapt, which has resulted in putting trainings in an online environment....

FutureWater and HiView give lectures on the use of flying sensors

Last week FutureWater, together with its partner HiView, gave 2 days of lectures at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, which partners with UNESCO. As part of their master degree, around 10 students were taught on the theory behind flying sensors (also known as drones), the different types of applications and how to use them...

New project awarded to increase water efficiency in palm oil in Colombia

Source: Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food-Quality Water efficiency in the palm oil sector is one of the prioritized topics for the coming years and is a cornerstone of the bilateral agenda on circular agriculture of the Dutch Embassy in Colombia. As part of the Partners for Water program, a project has been initiated...

FutureWater presents in NWP webinar on food security and water

Source: NWP The Covid-19 pandemic is reminding us of the importance of water for human health and well-being. The Corona virus came late to Latin America, but the region is now feeling its devastating effects. In the water sector, the crisis is exposing the existing water challenges such as limited access to clean water, weak...

Revenue sharing in small hydropower: is it worth it?

This month, FutureWater has published an article in the International Water Power & Dam Construction Magazine focusing on the business case for small hydropower (small facilities without significant storage dams) to invest in catchment protection based hydropower. The hydropower sector is showing increasing interest in revenue sharing schemes that promote improved catchment protection activities.  The...

FutureWater presents successful Webinar on Real Water Savings

Does drip irrigation lead to real water savings? What is the impact of changing the irrigation efficiency on basin scale water flows? How can water managers implement water savings technologies that lead to real water savings? Several of such questions were discussed during a recent webinar. FutureWater in collaboration with the FAO Near East and...

APSAN-Vale Flying Sensor Portal 2.0 launched

The APSAN-Vale Flying Sensor portal, part of the APSAN-Vale project to show outcomes of the project to the public, has received a major update with some new and very useful functionalities. The project, which started in 2018, is piloting innovations to increase the water productivity and food security for climate resilient smallholder agriculture in the...

Mozambican – Dutch partnership on water allocation training completed

FutureWater in Mozambique had yet another successful partnership added to its already extensive collaborative activities with this Southern African country. ARA-Sul, the waterboard responsible for water management in the region around Maputo, received an eLearning course on supporting water allocation permit decisions using the WEAP tool. This training was a continuation of collaboration with the...

eLearning for PLN staff Indonesia successfully completed

FutureWater completed two eLearning courses on hydrology and on climate change for staff of PLN. PLN (Perusahaan Listrik Negar) is the biggest electricity company in Indonesia. PLN is increasingly expanding its activities to hydropower and therefore additional training needs on hydrology and climate change was needed. FutureWater developed and delivered those trainings to PLN in...

FutureWater supporting Sustainable Land Management interventions in Madagascar

Within the Land Use Planning for Enhanced Resilience of Landscapes (LAUREL) project commissioned by the World Bank, a Land Use Change Simulation Platform (LANDSIM-P) has been developed by FutureWater and partners. The objective of LANDSIM-P is to support policy makers in Madagascar by providing an integrated assessment of the impact of current and future land...

Training in the use of satellite images for water management issues for officials in Myanmar

Source: HKV FutureWater and HKV have received approval of Nuffic to conduct the training ‘Multi-level capacity building on river morphology and flood risk using state-of-the-art open satellite data and processing tools’ in Myanmar. This training is a follow-up of previous trainings at Yangon Technological University for several universities and government entities held in 2018 and...

Mavo Diami: Drought Driver of Change for Angola

Source: Netherlands Space Office (NSO) The United Nations reminds us of two major effects of climate change every June 17th: desertification and drought. Especially in Africa, where it means food insecurity for at least 45 million people (source UN). In Angola, a consortium of Dutch organisations is working with the Government to introduce climate-smart technologies...

Nieuwe inzichten extreem weer helpen watersector

Bron: KNMI-Klimaatbericht door Janet Wijngaard en Emma Aalbers in samenwerking met Bart van den Hurk (Deltares) Droogte en extreme regenval hebben grote invloed op de maatschappij. Zo dreigt in Oost-Nederland door de aanhoudende droogte de waterbeschikbaarheid in de knel te komen en leidde begin dit jaar hoogwater in de rivieren tot hinder voor de scheepvaart....

Droogte in Nederland goed te zien op nieuw Droogteportaal van FutureWater

Op 11 mei 2020 heeft FutureWater een nieuwe online droogteportaal gelanceerd: DroogteNL! In dit interactieve droogteportaal kan het relatieve bodemvochtgehalte in heel Nederland worden bekeken op verschillende niveaus, zowel op een kaart als in een grafiek. Er zijn duidelijke pieken en dalen in het relatieve bodemvocht zichtbaar, zo was februari 2020 extreem nat, maar april...

FutureWater presents added value of Flying Sensors at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) conference

FutureWater, in collaboration with TUDelft and the TWIGA project, has participated in the Precipitation and Urban Hydrology session of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) conference which is held from 4-8 May. In response the ongoing coronavirus pandemic the EGU has gone completely virtual and hosted the EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online. This event will offer all...

FutureWater launches APSAN-Vale Flying Sensor Portal

Today FutureWater launched a portal for flying sensor imagery taken in Mozambique as part of the APSAN-Vale project. The project, which started in 2018, is piloting innovations to increase the water productivity and food security for climate resilient smallholder agriculture in the Zambezi valley of Mozambique. It will demonstrate what the best combinations are of...

FutureWater and HiView present at the GrowCongo! conference

At the GrowCongo! conference, organized by NABC, FutureWater and HiView conducted a pitch for a delegation from Republic of Congo including Prime Minister Clément Mouamba. Prime Minister Mouamba was accompanied by several ministers of his government, amongst which the Minister of Agriculture. The governmental team was present at the conference to promote agricultural business between...

Advanced cloud computing for water resources management in Myanmar

FutureWater, together with HKV and Yangon Technological University, have successfully organized a symposium on Advanced cloud computing for water resources management in Myanmar on 13th of December 2019. The symposium was organized under the framework of the Orange Knowledge Tailor-Made Training (TMT) Program, which is funded by NUFFIC, the Dutch organization for internationalization in education....

Watertorens van de wereld gerangschikt op kwetsbaarheid

Wereldwijd zijn er 78 watersystemen waarvan gletsjers en sneeuw de voornaamste zoetwaterbron zijn. Deze systemen worden dan ook de watertorens van de wereld genoemd. Hiervan zijn 1,9 miljard mensen afhankelijk – ongeveer een kwart van de wereldbevolking. Een groot internationaal onderzoeksteam, geleid door de Universiteit Utrecht in samenwerking met National Geographic, heeft in kaart gebracht...

Kennisbehoefte in de Nederlandse watersector is gericht op neerslagverwachtingen, extreme buien, verdamping en droogte

Afgelopen week is een door FutureWater geschreven STOWA-rapport gepubliceerd, wat de kennisbehoefte van Nederlandse waterbeheerders ten aanzien van weers- en klimaatdata vaststelt. Op basis van deze behoefte worden in het rapport concrete aanbevelingen gedaan die voorsorteren op een STOWA-onderzoeksprogramma meteorologie. De resultaten van de studie zijn tijdens de Bijeenkomst Netwerk Weer & Waterbeer op 31...

Hands-on training with Google Earth Engine in Myanmar

From 4 till 15 November, FutureWater and HKV gave a hands-on training at Yangon Technological University on using the Google Earth Engine cloud computing platform for satellite-derived data analyses for water resources management in Myanmar. The 8-day training was organized under the framework of the Orange Knowledge Tailor-Made Training (TMT) Program, which is funded by...

Training on glacio-hydrological modelling at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research

The Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) is part of the Belt and Road Initiative, being a development strategy that focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries. Essentially, the SREB includes countries situated on the original Silk Road through Central Asia, West Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The initiative calls for the integration of...

Publication of Mekong State Of the Basin Report with substantial FutureWater contribution

Last week, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) released the latest Mekong State Of the Basin Report (SOBR), which is MRC’s flagship knowledge and impact monitoring product. The SOBR provides information on the current status and trends of water and related resources in the Mekong Basin. Key strategic recommendations are provided for uptake in the MRC...

Scientific field campaign to estimate evapotranspiration at field scale in Ghana

During the last week of August, FutureWater and HiView joined TU Delft and local partners for a scientific field campaign at Nyankpale-Tamale in the northern part of Ghana. This was possible as part of the Horizon 2020 project TWIGA, Transforming Weather Water data into value-added Information services for sustainable Growth in Africa. Hosted by the...

Kick-off innovatief geodata-project in Angola

Afgelopen dinsdag vond op het kantoor van World Vision in Amersfoort de kick-off plaats van een innovatief geodata-project. Doel van dit project is om de voedsel- en inkomenszekerheid van meer dan 100.000 kleine boeren in Angola te verbeteren. Het project draagt de naam Mavo Diami, wat in een lokale taal (Kimbundo) ‘mijn land’ betekent en...

Modelling training provided to representatives from Madagascar

Futurewater has organized a two-week workshop (from 16 to 30 July) to provide hands-on training in relation to a modelling platform (LANDSIM-R) developed part of its activities undertaken for the LAUREL project. The prototype focuses on simulating hydrological and erosion processes at the regional scale and is provided as a toolbox grouping input data and...

HERMANA gelanceerd voor duurzaam watermanagement in Colombia

Persbericht De Valle del Cauca, in het westelijke deel van Colombia, is de op twee na grootste economie van het land. Suikerriet is er een belangrijke bron van inkomsten maar ook een gewas dat sterk afhankelijk is van voldoende water. Er is veel oppervlakte- en grondwater beschikbaar maar duurzaam gebruik van deze voorraad staat onder...

Miljoenen boeren afhankelijk van smeltende gletsjers in de Himalaya

Vorige maand werd bekend dat gletsjers in de Himalaya in de afgelopen twintig jaar sneller zijn gesmolten dan in de jaren daarvoor. De gewasproductie en het levensonderhoud van 129 miljoen boeren is afhankelijk van het smeltwater uit deze gletsjers. Dat concludeert een internationale groep van onderzoekers, waaronder FutureWater teamleden, in een nieuwe studie die vandaag verschijnt...

Rwandese experts visit the Netherlands for a training on water management

This week a team of experts from the Rwandese government visited the Netherlands to learn from the Dutch water authorities about their experience on water management. The focus was on peat dikes, as this mission was embedded in a joint effort of the Rwandese and Dutch government to improve the flood safety and water security...

SMART-WADI project: Drone images for farms in Iran

FutureWater travelled to Mashhad, Iran to undertake a series of key activities related to the SMART-WADI project (SMART Water Decisions for Iran) with the main goal of testing drone flights and imagery recovery from agricultural fields. The SMART-WADI project (SMART Water Decisions for Iran), carried out by a consortium of FutureWater, IHE-Delft, and local partner...

Publication on quantifying services of natural and built infrastructure in the context of climate change

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) together with FutureWater and other partners have published a report that presents findings from a study conducted to explore the synergies and trade-offs between built (i.e., engineered) and natural (i.e., ecological systems) infrastructure in the Tana River Basin, Kenya. The study considered hydrological, ecological and economic processes in order...

Use of open source platform for hydrological modelling of data sparse region in Nepal

Flooding has always been a major cause of natural disasters in a mountainous country like Nepal. Among the many natural disasters that affect Nepal, the recurring floods during the monsoon season have catastrophic consequences every year. Nepal’s fragile geological conditions and complex topography combined with frequently occurring extreme rainfall during the monsoon poses risks to...

First SPHY-model User Day organized

On 18 March FutureWater organized the first SPHY-model User Day for core developers and users of the SPHY-model. Ten core developers and users from FutureWater, Utrecht University, Wageningen University & Research and CEBAS Spain gathered at the Wageningen International Congress Centre to discuss the upcoming new release of SPHY and the way forward for effective...

TWIGA Blog: Added value of Flying Sensors: irrigation advice to pineapple farmers

In November 2018, just after the TWIGA days in Kumasi, Ghana, FutureWater, together with partners Hiview and Farmerline, conducted a pilot study using flying sensors (drones) to enhance irrigation water productivity and yields of pineapple farmers. Pineapple is a key economic resource in Ghana, but pineapple yields generally remain low. Yield losses occur due to...

Drones used to aid emergency efforts in Mozambique during the aftermath of Cyclone Idai

On 15 March 2019 Cyclone Idai hit the coast of Mozambique causing devastating damage and severe flooding in the region. The APSAN-Vale project, which is implemented in the Beira Agricultural Growth Corridor of Mozambique, is working closely with rural farming communities in the region affected by Cyclone Idai. The project team are searching ways to...

TWIGA Blog: Flying Sensors, a catalyst for revolution in farming

How can drone technology support our farming activities? This was the question that Kumasi farmers had when they went into the field for a drone workshop. Under the TWIGA Project, a consulting firm from the Netherlands called HiView was contracted by Future Water to deliver training on Flying Sensors to support Farmers’ Decision Making and Flood...

TWIGA Blog: Project meeting in Kumasi, Ghana

TWIGA aims at the provision of currently unavailable geo-information on weather, water, and climate for sub-Saharan Africa. This is done by: Enhancing satellite-based geo-data with innovative in-situ sensors and; Developing related information services that address local needs of African stakeholders and the GEOSS community. The TWIGA days organized at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science...

TWIGA Blog: Successful drone training at KNUST in Kumasi, Ghana

Eleven motivated participants. A Flying Sensor. A challenging task to perform. Perfect facilities (Thank you Mr Isaac Duodu from Kumasi Business Incubator!). The right assistance (Mr Joel Budu from Farmerline!). That’s what it takes to perform a week’s training and finish it successfully. Coming from different professional backgrounds most of the trainees did not know...

Socio-economic development is the key driver for the future South Asian water gap

The current United Nations Climate Change Conference COP24 held in Katowice, Poland once more demonstrates the world’s climate change concerns. In the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra river basins, a global climate change hotspot and home for about 900 million people, these concerns are pressing, since the river systems provide water resources for the important agricultural,...

Satellite technology and drone images to reduce groundwater use in Iran

The SMART-WADI project (SMART Water Decisions for Iran), carried out by a consortium of FutureWater, IHE-Delft, and local partner EWERI, focuses on farmers who irrigate their crops with groundwater. The aim is to provide up-to-date information and advice on water productivity, irrigation and farm management. The project combines the latest satellite technology for the quantification...

FutureWater to launch RainMyanmar at the 2018 Greater Mekong Forum on Water, Food and Energy

Although rainfall stations continue to be an irreplaceable source of data, satellite-derived products provide valuable additional information on spatial patterns and remote sites where no stations are present. Thanks to Google Earth Engine, these data products are now publicly available and can improve water management policies, practice and research worldwide. RainMyanmar is an app targeted...

Even 1.5 degrees is too much for South Asia

The river basins of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra in South Asia are seen as climate change hotspots. These river basins, which are largely fed by mountain water are home to a population around 900 million people, which is likely to increase to al 1 billion halfway the 21st century. Climate change is expected to...

Successful BRIGAID project meeting in Cartagena, Spain

During October 17, 18 and 19, several activities co-organized by FutureWater and Icatalist took place in Cartagena in the framework of the 6th Regular Meeting of the EU-H2020 BRIGAID project. During the first day, a selection of innovators, users and financing actors from the region and the rest of Europe were gathered around a thematic...

Press release: Traditional Japanese cuisine is under threat from global water problems

Water scarcity and extreme weather events – both now and under climate change – outside Japan’s borders are expected to pose an increasing risk to Japan’s agri-food importers and to the wider consumer market. In Japan, many traditional culinary ingredients such as rice, edamame, miso and tofu (soybean products) – as well as increasingly popular...

Stockholm World Water Week 2018: FutureWater will present ThirdEye’s Water Productivity service

FutureWater will participate in the African Spatial Delight side event of the Stockholm World Water Week 2018, convened by VIA Water, AfriAlliance and the G4AW programme of the Dutch government. The ThirdEye service of FutureWater and HiView, currently applied in Mozambique, Kenya and Ghana, is one of the innovations that will be presented and demonstrated...

FutureWater gives Remote Sensing and Agricultural Services Course in Angola

The Government of Angola is developing a policy to diversify the country’s economy, strongly dependent on the income of the oil sector. Agriculture is considered one of the priority sectors to be developed. A favorable climate and a relatively high availability of water resources and fertile soils, can lead Angola to become one of the...

Mekong State Of the Basin Report 2018: FutureWater prepares Upper Mekong Chapters

The Mekong State Of the Basin Report (SOBR) is published by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) every five years, in advance of the cyclic updating of the Basin Development Strategy. The SOBR plays a key role in improving monitoring and communication of conditions in the Mekong Basin, and is MRC’s flagship knowledge and impact monitoring...

FutureWater and HiView give lectures on the use of flying sensors

Last week FutureWater, together with its partner HiView, gave 2 days of lectures at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, which partners with UNESCO. As part of their master degree, around 25 students were taught on the theory behind flying sensors (also known as drones), the different types of applications and how to use them...

Seminar on the use of flying sensors in agriculture held in Kenya

In a bid to create and increase more awareness on the use of flying sensors (drones) in agriculture, FutureWater and HiView, held a seminar on March 2, 2018 at the KALRO (Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization) Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The seminar was attended by KALRO researchers, representatives of SNV, government employees, as well...

Training on Google Earth Engine for water resource analysis organized in Myanmar

Last month, the training Cloud computing for water resource analyses in Myanmar using Google Earth Engine, executed by FutureWater and HKV, was successfully conducted at Yangon Technological University (YTU), Yangon, Myanmar. The training was organized in the framework of the Leapfrogging Delta Management in Myanmar, led by Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and funded...

Third HERMANA project mission to present beta version of the Water Management Information Center

From 5 to 9 March 2018, staff people of the HERMANA project presented the first version of the Water Management Information Center (WMIC) for the Cauca Valley Basin at the CVC headquarters in Cali, Colombia. This information center aims to be the cornerstone for supporting the decision-making process at the technical and institutional levels in...

FutureWater onderzoek aangehaald in Verenigde Naties rapport

Vandaag, 22 maart 2018, is Wereld Water Dag. In Nederland minder bekend, maar vooral in Afrika en Azië is 22 maart een dag waar water nog eens extra onder de aandacht wordt gebracht. Het thema van dit jaar is “natuur voor water”: de mogelijkheden die natuur biedt voor het oplossen van wereldwijde waterproblemen. In het...

ThirdEye maakt drone-technologie toegankelijk voor Afrikaanse boeren

In Nederland spelen drones al een belangrijke rol in de landbouw: vanuit de lucht kunnen zij zeer precies de groei van gewassen monitoren. Hierbij wordt gebruik gemaakt van hoogwaardige sensoren en relatief dure drones. Dankzij deze sensoren kan met speciale software precies worden berekend welke verzorging (bv. water, kunstmest of gewasbeschermingsmiddelen) is vereist. “Een fantastische...

New Horizon 2020 project TWIGA officially started

Last week the kick-off meeting took place of a new Horizon 2020 project TWIGA; Transforming Water, weather, and climate information through In situ observations for Geo-services in Africa. The project aims to provide actionable geo-information on weather, water, and climate in Africa through innovative combinations of new in situ sensors and satellite-based geo-data. With the...

New IMPREX policy brief: EU’s vulnerability to climate change impacts outside its borders

Climate change is leading to increased water scarcity and drought in many parts of the world. This has implications for the European Union (EU) because a lot of the goods consumed or used in the EU are produced abroad. This makes its economy dependent on water resources from beyond its borders. As part of the...

First ThirdEye flying sensor operators trained in Kenya

The ThirdEye project supports farmers in Kenya by setting up a network of flying sensors operators. These operators are equipped with flying sensors and tools to analyse the obtained imagery. In December ThirdEye staff conducted an intensive two weeks flying sensor training at Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) Kaguru, 15 km south of Meru, Kenya. The...

Study conducted on water productivity mapping using flying sensors and crop modeling

Recently, FutureWater conducted a study for RVO to test the feasibility of mapping water productivity and yield gaps based on a combination of Flying Sensor imagery and crop water productivity modeling in order to provide plot-level recommendations to farmers. The objective of this pilot study was to achieve plot-level maps of water productivity and yield...

Klimaatverandering zal leiden tot een toename in hydrologische extremen in the bovenstroomse gebieden van de Indus, Ganges, en Brahmaputra

Hydrologische extremen, zoals de overstromingen die optraden tijdens de afgelopen moesson periode in Zuid-Azië, hebben een desastreuze impact op de samenleving. Er zijn aanwijzingen dat hydrologische extremen aan het toenemen zijn. Om de nadelige gevolgen van overstromingen te kunnen reduceren, is het noodzakelijk om aanpassingsstrategiën te ontwikkelen, welke kenneis vereisen omtrent welke drijfveren/processen verantwoordelijk zijn...

FutureWater started the HERMANA project with two missions to the Cauca Valley Corporation

Two missions in September and October 2017 were held in Calí, Colombia as the starting point of the HERMANA project. During these missions, the HERMANA team, composed by staff from Deltares, FutureWater, and the Dutch Water Authorities, shared Dutch and Colombian experiences in water monitoring, management and governance. Furthermore, they identified the main functional and...

Higher crop water requirements due to climate change in Kazakhstan

The government of Kazakhstan with financial support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is planning to upgrade and rehabilitate its irrigation sector. A detailed Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) has been undertaken by a consortium led by FutureWater in 2017. The team collected all available data on the project and had undertaken a rigorous...

Langste nacht van het jaar steeds minder donker

Op donderdag 21 december hebben we de langste nacht van het jaar, maar hoe donker is het eigenlijk in de nacht? Uit onderzoek met behulp van nachtsatellieten blijkt dat er veel lichtvervuiling is en dat er grote verschillen zijn in vergelijking met 25 jaar geleden. Onderzoekers uit Wageningen hebben met behulp van nachtelijke satellieten kaarten...

Nederlandse klimaatexperts slaan handen ineen

Veertien Nederlandse kennisorganisaties hebben hun krachten gebundeld om overheden en bedrijven in binnen- en buitenland beter te kunnen adviseren over het opvangen van de enorme gevolgen van een warmer klimaat. Vandaag ondertekenden ze in Utrecht de oprichting van het Netherlands Consortium on Climate Change Adaptation (CCCA). Dat consortium gaat kennis en expertise uit verschillende sectoren...

Minimaal een derde van de gletsjers in Azië zal verdwijnen

Zelfs als het klimaat slechts 1,5 graden Celsius opwarmt – zoals afgesproken in het Parijse klimaatakkoord – dan nog zal ruim een derde van de gletsjers in Azië in 2100 gesmolten zijn. Dat blijkt uit een onderzoek van de Universiteit Utrecht en FutureWater, dat op 14 september in Nature is gepubliceerd. Dat is problematisch, aangezien...

FutureWater releases new study on monitoring Water Productivity

Water Productivity, expressed as the amount of crop yield over the amount of water consumed (kg/m3), has been accepted as the standard to monitor sustainable water management. FutureWater has evaluated various methods, including satellites and Flying Sensors (drones) to monitor Water Productivity for a demonstration project ThirdEye in southern Mozambique. Monitoring Water Productivity is set...

White paper published: On Spatially Distributed Hydrological Ecosystem Services

FutureWater published a white paper to demonstrate that, by leveraging technologies and remote sensing data, Hydrological EcoSystem Services (HESS) at the river basin scale can be effectively described, quantified and compared in space and time. This white paper demonstrates state-of-the-art methods for assessing different HESS and their tradeoffs under different development scenarios. It explores opportunities for...

Boussinesq Prize 2017 awarded to Walter Immerzeel

Text adopted from: Boussinesqcenter.nl On Friday June 2nd Walter Immerzeel (Utrecht University) received the Boussinesq Prize 2017 awarded by prof. Bob Su. Walter Immerzeel has quickly become one of the most influential and highly cited young scientists in mountain hydrology, in particular on the effect of climate change on snow and glaciers in High Mountain Asia...

FutureWater at FAO seminar on drought and agriculture: Close the drought management cycle in Vietnam

FutureWater has presented work in Vietnam on the development of a drought information system, during a high-level event at UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters, gathering specialists from all over the world. The international seminar on drought organized by Iran, the Netherlands, and FAO in Rome aimed to catalyse a renewed international push to tackle...

MSc thesis research on efficient use of water in agriculture: visiting Xai-Xai, Mozambique

Increasing world population, rising food demand, limited water resources. Currently 70% of the fresh water uptakes are already used for irrigation. The need for efficient water use in agriculture is undisputed! The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6.4 is set at the improvement of efficient use in order to reduce water scarcity and maintain food...

Regional Training on Hydrological Modelling in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, Nepal

The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is highly dynamic as there are many socio-economic and environmental drivers at play, including climate change. The impacts of these changes challenge the resilience of natural and human capacities and environments in the region. Recent studies have shown that the Himalayan region and the downstream areas that depend on its water...

Successful scoping mission for new World Bank project on enhanced landscape resilience in Madagascar

Deforestation, population growth, and climate change are only some of the challenges to sustainable landscape management in Madagascar. Severe impacts of land degradation on crop production, water availability and biodiversity are already observed and expected to exacerbate in the future. To address these challenges, the World Bank is supporting the PADAP project, which is based...

Field visit on monitoring water productivity in Quelimane, Mozambique

To follow up a good practical example of a our Masterclass on Water Productivity, our colleague Nadja den Besten went on a mission to Quelimane in Mozambique. FutureWater was invited to assess project APROVALE, Água Produtiva no Vale do Zambeze, in the Zambezi Valley. The project is led by Agencia de Desenvolvimento do Vale do Zambeze...

A4Lab deploys FutureWater’s drone technique to explore water potential of dry river beds in Mozambique

Text adopted from Dutchwatersector.com Research group A4Lab deployed a drone of FutureWater’s Mozambican ThirdEye project, to assess the water availability in the dry river beds of the Limpopo river, near the city of Chókwè in Moazambique. The exploration is to deliver more data on the amounts of water in the sandy river beds throughout the dry...

Expert mission to Bolivia on drought early warning systems

The Ministry of Water and Environment in Bolivia has asked the Dutch Government for support in relation to the drought issues they face. Last week, a team consisting of team leader Otto de Keizer (Deltares) and Johannes Hunink (FutureWater) left for Bolivia. As a result of El Niño, the country is struggling with a long...

Water Productivity Masterclass: From Monitoring to Improvement

Water productivity is a much discussed topic in the water and agricultural sector, especially in water-scarce countries. Between March and May 2017, a series of master classes on water productivity are organized by MetaMeta together with RAIN and NWP, under the auspices of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The masterclasses are meant for SMEs...

Workshop and training on hydropower and forestry management in Gabon

Last week, the final results of the work in the Mbé basin in Gabon were presented to the stakeholders. The presentation was followed by a very participative discussion on the next steps. The study provides solid evidence that there is a clear economic benefit in the sustainable management and conservation of the watershed. The Nature...

ThirdEye project featured in USAID Water Sector Activities Report

SWFF Innovators FutureWater was featured in USAID’s recently published Safeguarding the World’s Water: Report of Water Sector Activities, which details the Agency’s investments and efforts in WASH and nutrition, agricultural water management, sustainability of WASH services; sanitation; and water quality. This report describes a wide range of programs consistent with USAID’s Water and Development strategy’s focus on maintaining...

Natuurbrandbeheersing op hoger plan met satellietdata

Tekst overgenomen van pianoo.nl Bij het beheersen en bestrijden van natuurbranden kan satellietdata van grote waarde zijn. Let wel: kán, maar hoe precies? En wie gaat dat betalen? Het Instituut Fysieke Veiligheid (IFV) en Brandweer Nederland sloegen de handen ineen, samen met ruimtevaartorganisatie NSO die graag de toepassing van satelliet-observatie wil versnellen. Een SBIR-traject bleek...

Final block of training in Water Resources Modelling for ARA-Sul and ARA-Norte

During the weeks of 21 November through 2 December, Wilco Terink and Sonu Khanal from FutureWater provided the final block of training in Water Resources Modelling to ARA-Sul and ARA-Norte in Pemba, Mozambique. This training was funded by NUFFIC’s Tailor-Made Training Programme, which is part of the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP II), and is specifically...

Fruitful kick-off meeting of the System-Risk project in Potsdam

The System-Risk kick-off meeting hosted by the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences took place from 10-14 October in the Potsdam. The 1st day of the meeting started with presentations about challenges imposed at different levels of flood risk chain assessment by the lead scientist from each Work Package, followed by a short research plan...

Nieuwe publicatie over de effecten van klimaatverandering op de bovenstroomse Indus

De Indus behoort tot de meest smeltwater afhankelijke rivieren op Aarde. In het stroomgebied woont een grote, sterk groeiende bevolking en ligt het grootste irrigatiesysteem ter wereld. Inzicht krijgen in de hydrologie van het bovenstroomse, bergachtige deel van het Indus-stroomgebied is een grote uitdaging. De gebergten van de Hindu Kush, Karakoram en Himalaya zijn moeilijk...

IMPREX partners kick off the second project year in Crete

Text adopted from IMPREX.eu Time flies when you’re passionate is an apt saying to describe the three intense and productive days of the IMPREX General Assembly. The meeting was hosted by the project partners from the Technical University of Crete and took place from 26-28 September in the scenic landscapes of the Crete island. The...

FutureWater trains national experts in Armenia on climate change, water and crops

FutureWater provides a training program to technical staff of relevant institutes and organizations in Armenia, on using simulation models for assessing vulnerability and planning of climate adaptation measures, with emphasis on water and agriculture. This week (17-Oct until 22-Oct 2016) a 1-week training is given, on using AquaCrop for assessing water-related and climate change-driven impacts...

InfoSequia.es: A web-based interactive climate service for drought monitoring in the Spanish Iberian Peninsula

FutureWater redesigns the web-based platform InfoSequía.es by improving the visualization and the interactive extraction of drought information. InfoSequía.es provides weekly updates of drought severity maps, bulletins and historical series of satellite drought indices. This information aims to complement hydrological drought indices published by the Water Basin Authorities and the Spanish National Drought Observatory. Several regions...

FutureWater awards two young scientists at the BioHydrology2016 International Conference

FutureWater attended the 4th Biohydrology International Conference “Walking on drylands” and awarded a prize to the best oral communication by a young scientist. For taking the end-decision, members of the Scientific Committee and of FutureWater scored all the candidates according to three main fields: Scientific relevance for the management and planning of water resources Applicability...

ThirdEye gepresenteerd als innovatieve technologie in Mozambique

Van 29 augustus tot 4 september vond in Maputo de International Trade Fair FACIM plaatst. Op deze beurs verzorgde de Nederlandse Ambassade een Holland paviljoen waar verschillende Nederlandse organisaties zich presenteerden aan de Mozambikaanse markt. Dit paviljoen stond op woensdag 31 augustus in het teken van het FACIM WATER EVENT ‘The adaptation of innovative technologies...

FutureWater Co-Convenes Session at the World Water Week

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), FutureWater and Statkraft convene a session on Mountains, glaciers, and hydropower in a changing climate at the World Water Week, organized in Stockholm 28 August – 2 September. This session will highlight the role of mountains in providing water, food, and energy for sustainable growth using examples...

First week of successful training in Water Resources Modeling for ARA-Sul and ARA-Norte, Mozambique

During the week of 11-15 July, training in Water Resources Modeling (using SPHY) was provided to ARA-Sul and ARA-Norte (water boards) in Mozambique. This training was funded by NUFFIC’s Tailor-Made Training Programme, which is part of the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP II), and is specifically meant to enhance the overall functioning of an organization by...

FutureWater organizes coordination meeting for IMPREX project at EU Joint Research Centre

On 27 and 28 June, IMPREX partners working on agriculture and droughts gathered in the premises of the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) in the Italian city of Ispra. The two-day meeting provided an opportunity to review recent progress, coordinate future actions, and to establish links with relevant activities and laboratories of the JRC. The...

Identifying and designing business models for the ThirdEye project in Mozambique

How to be a commercial business, and at the same time reach out to the rural poor and enable them to increase their food production and improve their livelihoods? The key ingredient for success is getting the right business model! Agricultural Business Developer Jelle van den Akker investigated the transition of the ThirdEye project from a...

Promotieonderzoek: Meer water in Aziatische rivieren door klimaatverandering

Tekst deels van Universiteit Utrecht Op vrijdag 27 mei verdedigt Arthur Lutz zijn proefschrift dat het resultaat is van een gezamenlijk promotieonderzoek van FutureWater en de Universiteit Utrecht. Hij concludeert dat klimaatverandering zorgt voor meer regen en smeltwater, en dus voor meer water in de Aziatische rivieren. Meer dan een miljard De meeste grote rivieren...

Lezing Dr. Walter Immerzeel – IceSpy: drones om gletsjers in de Himalaya te analyseren

Tijdens de vijftigste editie van het internationale rondreizende Campus Party, 25 tot en met 29 mei is de Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, zal Dr. Walter Immerzeel een keynote lezing geven. De lezing gaat over de gevolgen van klimaatverandering op de gletsjers en ijsvelden in de Himalaya op een hoogte van 5000 meter en hoger. Zo’n 1.5...

Dr. Walter Immerzeel ontvangt Vidi-subsidie

Dr. Walter Immerzeel, hydroloog bij FutureWater en wetenschapper van de Universiteit Utrecht, heeft van NWO een Vidi-financiering toegekend gekregen van 800.000 euro. In totaal dienden 572 onderzoekers in Nederland een aanvraag in, waarvan NWO er uiteindelijk 87 heeft gehonoreerd. De Vidi-subsidievorm is gericht op excellente onderzoekers die na hun promotie al een aantal jaren succesvol...

ThirdEye: Training new Flying Sensor operators in Mozambique

A key factor in enabling an increase and efficiency in food production is providing farmers with relevant information. Such information is needed as farmers have limited resources (seed, water, fertilizer, pesticides, human power) and are always in doubt in which location and when they should supply these resources. Interesting is that especially smallholders, with their...

FutureWater contributes to the EGU General Assembly 2016

Results of several ongoing projects of FutureWater were being disseminated among a large group of scientists last week during the General Assembly 2016 of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The EGU General Assembly was held at the Austria Center Vienna (ACV) in Vienna, Austria, from 17 to 22 April 2016. It is the largest conference on the...

PhD position: Development of Future Weather techniques for flood risk assessment

We are delighted that you consider joining the ETN System-Risk as an Early Stage Research (ESR) fellow. System-Risk is a Marie-Skłodowska-Curie European Training Network which aims on developing and implementing a systems approach for large-scale flood risk assessment and management and provides a framework for training and career development of 15 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs). The network brings...

FutureWater presents at conference on Climate Change Impacts for Indus Basin Waters

An International Conference on Climate and Environmental Change Impacts on the Indus Basin Waters was organized jointly by ICIMOD, The World Bank Group and the International Water Management Institute from 16 to 19 February 2016 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Indus River Basin is shared by four countries Afghanistan, China, India, and Pakistan.  The Indus Basin...

FutureWater receives award for the best contribution on precision agriculture and flying sensors

The contribution “Spectral and physiological responses of Citrus irrigated with saline reclaimed water combined with deficit irrigation strategies” was recently awarded as the best submission in the “Precision Agriculture” thematic panel of the 2nd Spanish Symposium of Horticultural Engineering held in Almeria between 12-16 February. The contribution was led by Cristina Romero and is the...

InfoSequia at the XII Scientific Conference of the Experimental Station of Arid Zones

The drought portal InfoSequía was presented at the XII Scientific Conference organized by the Experimental Station of Arid Zones (EEZA -CSIC ) and held on 5 February on the University Campus of Almeria. During this event taking place annually since 2005, researchers and experts share their latest advances and innovations through mini-lectures. FutureWater contributed to...

Innovatieproject ‘Dijkmonitoring met Flying Sensors’ afgerond

Op donderdag 21 januari jl. werd tijdens een bijeenkomst bij het Wetterskip Fryslân het innovatieproject “Dijkmonitoring met Flying Sensors” afgerond. Op deze afsluitende middag werden de resultaten van het anderhalf jaar durende Dijkmonitoringproject gepresenteerd door FutureWater, HiView en projectpartner Kavel10. De presentatie werd bijgewoond door werknemers van verschillende afdelingen binnen het Wetterskip Fryslân, vertegenwoordigers van...

New approach to select climate models for impact studies

Climate change impact studies depend on projections of future climate provided by climate models. The selection of an ensemble of climate models is not straightforward, but defines the outcome of climate change impact studies to a large extent. A new approach to select representative climate models was developed by FutureWater in collaboration with Alterra Wageningen...

FutureWater ontwikkelt 3D model van de Langtang gletsjer in Nepal

FutureWater heeft een 3D model van de Langtang gletsjer in Nepal gemaakt met behulp van data van flying sensors. Het model kan ook in 3D worden bekeken met behulp van Google Cardboard.

Documentaire over klimaatverandering in de Himalaya

Het smeltwater uit het Himalayagebergte en aangrenzende bergketens vormt een belangrijke waterbron voor ruim een kwart van de wereldbevolking. Maar omdat het terrein onbegaanbaar is, en er geen degelijke observaties zijn, is niet bekend hoeveel neerslag er in de bergketens valt. Voor de waterbeschikbaarheid van ruim een miljard mensen is dit echter cruciale informatie. FutureWater,...

Training weeks on water resources and water allocation modelling for ARAs in Pemba, Mozambique

In order to have a stronger advisory role towards policy and decision makers and people living in their management areas, three ARAs (water boards) of Mozambique require knowledge on how-to use and apply Water Resources and Water Allocation Models. Because the ARAs were facing a knowledge constraint on these topics, they requested a Tailor-Made Training...

Webinar on the Asian Water Towers and Climate Change

The high mountain ranges in Asia are also called the Asian Water Towers, providing water resources for the densely populated downstream areas, where millions of people depend on the water coming from upstream. The water generated in the high Asian mountains feeds into the world’s largest irrigation schemes and reservoirs. Downstream water demands are high,...

Sneeuwval Himalaya zwaar onderschat

Er valt ongeveer twee keer zoveel sneeuw en regen in het Himalayagebergte als aanvankelijk werd gedacht. Dit concluderen onderzoekers van de Universiteit Utrecht, FutureWater en het International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) uit hun onderzoek in het stroomgebied van de Indus. De resultaten verschenen eind november in het tijdschrift Hydrology and Earth System Sciences....

Second regional training on glacio-hydrological modeling using the SPHY model in Kathmandu, Nepal

The Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is highly dynamic as there are many socio-economic and environmental drivers at play, including climate change. The impacts of these changes challenge the resilience of natural and human capacities and environments in the region. Recent studies have shown that the Himalayan region and the downstream areas that depend on its water...

Launch of The Himalayan Climate and Water Atlas at COP21

On 11 December the HKH Water Atlas (‘The Himalayan Climate and Water Atlas: Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources in Five of Asia’s Major River Basins’) will be launched at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21). The conference is held in Le Bourget, Paris, France from 29 November to 11 December. The...

FutureWater present at the kick-off meeting of the IMPREX project

From November 30th to December 2nd. Johannes Hunink and Sergio Contreras attended the IMPREX kickoff meeting held in the headquarters of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) in Utrecht (The Netherlands). IMPREX (IMproving PRedictions and management of hydrological EXtremes) is a research and innovation action funded by the H2020 European Programme which aims to improve the tools...

Open webinar on the impact of climate change on the Asian Water Towers

The high mountain ranges in Asia are also called the Asian Water Towers, providing water resources for the densely populated downstream areas, where millions of people depend on the water coming from upstream. The water generated in the high Asian mountains feeds into the world’s largest irrigation schemes and reservoirs. Downstream water demands are high,...

Expanding the Third Eye project in Mozambique

The Third Eye project has been operational now for a few months in the regadios, irrigation schemes of Chokwe (HICEP) and Xai Xai (RBL). During the past weeks our field officer, Jan van Til, was in Mozambique to monitor the project progress and to acquire new partnership and collaborations. Jan visited 4 flying sensor operators...

HI-AWARE training for the use of High Altitude Monitoring equipment

FutureWater co-organized a training course for HI-AWARE team members in the use high-altitude monitoring equipment at Koenders Instruments in the Netherlands. Participants from ICIMOD, PARC, PMD, TERI and FutureWater met during 3rd November until 6th November at Koenders Instruments in the Netherlands to be trained in the installation and operation of various hydrometeorological equipment, which...

Resuming research in Nepal after the earthquake

Dr. Walter Immerzeel participated in an expedition to the Langtang region in October 2015 together with a group of scientists and a journalist from ICIMOD. It was the first time after the earthquake in April 2015 for the scientists to return this area, where they have been working for the past few years. It was...

Launch of InfoSequía.es: Web-portal on the drought status of the Iberian Peninsula

FutureWater launches InfoSequia, a website with data updates on the drought status of the Iberian Peninsula. InfoSequía provides weekly drought bulletins with maps of satellite-based drought indices that complement hydrological drought indices used by Spanish Water Basin Authorities. In Spain drought management is regulated by Law 10/2001 of the National Hydrological Plan which requires: 1)...

Pilot study started for a Payment for Watershed Services Scheme in Uganda

Last week FutureWater participated in the inception meeting organized by WWF in Uganda, on the Hydrological and Agronomic Study for a Payment for Watershed Services Scheme in Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Uganda. This is a pilot study within a larger project coordinated by WWF, called “Sustainable Financing of the Rwenzori Mountains National Park (SFRMNP) Project”...

Successful second training week in Water Allocation Modeling in Mozambique

During the week of 3-7 August, training in Water Allocation Modeling (using WEAP) was provided to 3 ARAs (water boards) in Mozambique, being ARA-Centro, ARA-Centro-Norte, and ARA-Norte. This training was funded by NUFFIC’s Tailor-Made Training Programme, which is part of the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP II), and is specifically meant to enhance the overall functioning of...

Successful first training week in Water Resources Modeling in Mozambique

During the week of 27-31 July, training in Water Resources Modeling (using SPHY) was provided to 3 ARAs (water boards) in Mozambique, being ARA-Centro, ARA-Centro-Norte, and ARA-Norte. This training was funded by NUFFIC’s Tailor-Made Training Programme, which is part of the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP II), and is specifically meant to enhance the overall functioning...

FutureWater’s Global Maps of Soil Hydraulic Properties Available

FutureWater has developed global maps of soil hydraulic properties to support hydrological modelling. The maps, at a resolution of 1 km world-wide, are now available. The maps are produced by combining the best soil information at global scale and most up-to-date pedo-transfer functions currently available. Soil information is the basis for all environmental studies. Since...

Lancering van Natuur Verdrogingsmonitor app voor natuurgebieden in Brabant

Sinds kort is de Natuur Verdrogingsmonitor opgenomen in de app store van Apple en daarmee vrij beschikbaar. Deze app is een resultaat van het SWIMM project, uitgevoerd door KnowH2O, FutureWater, KWR en Hoefsloot Spatial Solutions in opdracht van de Provincie Noord-Brabant. Hierin is het door FutureWater ontwikkelde SPHY-model ingezet om de waterhuishouding in de bodem...

SPHY v2.0 published in Geoscientific Model Development

In response to various water-related challenges, FutureWater and its partners have developed the Spatial Processes in HYdrology (SPHY) model and applied the model in various research projects. SPHY is a state-of-the-art, easy to use, robust tool, that can be applied for operational as well as strategic decision support. We are now proud to announce that...

SPHY model toepassingen binnen Nederland

Het door FutureWater ontwikkelde “Spatial Processes in HYdrology” (SPHY) model, wat onlangs geplubliceerd is in het internationaal wetenschappelijk tijdschrift “Geoscientific Model Develpment” (GMD), wordt momenteel, naast de vele buitenlandse toepassingen (o.a. Chili, Nepal, Roemenië, Tanzania, Vietnam), ook succesvol toegepast binnen een aantal projecten in Nederland. Hierbij wordt SPHY vooral toegepast om het bodemvocht in de wortelzone,...

ThirdEye project website now online: ThirdEyeWater.com

Farmers are confronted with a lack of knowledge on where and when to apply their limited resources as water, fertilizer, and seeds. A key factor in enabling an increase and efficiency in food production is providing farmers with relevant information. Such information is needed as farmers have limited resources (seed, water, fertilizer, pesticides, human power)...

Successful SPHY training provided to Vietnamese water professionals in Hanoi

On June 2, 2015, Thuy Loi University in Hanoi hosted a short course for professionals from Vietnamese organizations to transfer knowledge and technology on water resources modelling. This training for professionals was organized in the framework of the NICHE project Improvement of higher education in water management in view of climatic change in Vietnam, financed...

Upcoming training course: Water resources modelling using the SPHY-model (October 2015)

In October 2015 FutureWater offers a training course on water resources modelling using the Spatial Process in Hydrology (SPHY) model in Wageningen, the Netherlands. In response to various water-related challenges, FutureWater and its partners have developed the Spatial Processes in HYdrology (SPHY) model and applied the model in various research projects. SPHY is a state-of-the-art, easy to use,...

Earthquake Nepal: Post-event risk and impact assessments

The magnitude 7.8 Gorkha earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, caused extensive damage in Kathmandu Valley and severely affected Nepal’s rural areas. The Langtang Valley in the Rasuwa district was particularly hard hit, as became apparent after pictures taken by a rescue helicopter mission on April 26 (link). Numerous tourists and Nepali were,...

Spatial Processes in Hydrology (SPHY) model website online

Sinds 2011 ontwikkelt FutureWater het Spatial Processes in Hydrology (SPHY) model: een ruimtelijk gedistribueerd hydrologisch model dat gebruikt wordt in tal van toepassingen binnen Nederland en wereldwijd. SPHY wordt succesvol gebruikt in veel van onze projecten waaronder impact-studies voor klimaatverandering, water en energie toepassingen, irrigatiebeheer en operationele diensten. Voor het SPHY model is een nieuwe...

Final WatPlaG seminars in Beira and Maputo, Mozambique

During the week of 15-19 September the WatPlaG consortium, consisting of ARA-Centro, FutureWater, Waterschap Hunze en Aa’s, UNESCO-IHE, and WE-Consult, held its final project seminars in Beira and Maputo. The WatPlaG project’s goal was to demonstrate the Netherlands Water Governance system to ARA-Centro (waterboard) in Mozambique. The actual activities of this project were to introduce,...

The Third Eye: Flying Sensors to Support Farmers’ Decision Making

FutureWater is pleased to announce that we are one of the 39 finalists that were approved to conduct an innovative project for “Securing Water For Food: A Grand Challenge For Development”. The “Securing Water For Food” challenge was launched in 2013 at the World Water Week in Stockholm. This challenge is supported by the United...

Increasing precipitation and glacier melt keep Asia’s rivers flowing. Continued water supply from the Himalayas in the coming decades.

A study from FutureWater, Utrecht University and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) suggests that despite retreating glaciers, the amount of water supplied by the Himalayan mountains will increase in the coming decades. Their findings were published in Nature Climate Change on 1 June. Glacier- and snowmelt contribute water to ten important river...

A successful expedition with Flying Sensors (UAVs) in the Himalayas

HiView and FutureWater recently contributed to a successful expedition to the Nepalese Himalayas. This was the second mission after October and repeat flights were conducted with an Unmanned Aerial Survey System on large glacier. Based on this second mission it will now be possible to compare the situation in May with October and based on...

One year successful piloting with Flying Sensors (UAVs)

FutureWater celebrates one year successful piloting with Flying Sensors with its development partners HiView, Utrecht University, and ICIMOD. Flying Sensors, sometime referred to as UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), can be considered as the third generation remote sensing. First generation remote sensing was done from manned airplanes, which is very costly and requires substantial preparation time...

Peter Droogers’ scientific work highly cited (h-index of 20)

FutureWater’s scientific director Peter Droogers has reached the level to be amongst one of the highly cited scientists. His h-index has reached to a level of 20, which brings him to the top 10% researchers in terms of publications and citations. Peter has published in total 60 scientific publications and his work was cited in...

WatPlaG seminars in Chimoio and Beira, Mozambique

During the week of 30 September through 4 October, the WatPlaG consortium (FutureWater, Waterschap Hunze and Aa’s, UNESCO-IHE, and WE-consult) visited Chimoio and Beira for two seminars, and hands-on training in using the WEAP model. This WatPlaG project mission started with a general project discussion on Monday at ARA-Centro, Beira. For the remainder of the...

Participation in a short scientific mission in the Colorado River Basin, Argentina

FutureWater staff Sergio Contreras has just started a Short Term Scientific Mission in Argentina taking place from the 16th to the 31st of October 2013. The mission aims to provide insight on the water balance in the middle section of the Colorado River Basin. An intense conversion of native ecosystems into irrigated agriculture is expected...

Steering Committee Meeting kicks off business case study for Nairobi Water Fund

The 23rd to the 27th of September, a technical meeting and a Steering Committee Meeting of the Nairobi Water Fund took place which officially launched the Business Case Development study for this fund. This will be the first Water Fund in Africa, after that The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has launched several successful ones in Latin...

INTOGENER project presented at the Living Planet Symposium 2013

The ESA Living Planet Symposium was this year held in Edinburgh during 9-13 September. The objective of this symposium is to present the results of ESA EO (Earth Observation) missions. This was a perfect opportunity to present the “INTOGENER ARTES 20 Demonstration Study on Water Flow Forecast Service in Remote Mountainous Areas”. The consortium for...

Increasing precipitation prevents rivers from drying up. Himalayas to become warmer and wetter over the next century.

Climate change in the Himalayas will result in smaller glaciers and less meltwater. However, the water levels of its rivers will not drop over the next century, due to an increase in monsoon rains in the region. Research by scientists from Utrecht University (Walter Immerzeel, who also works for FutureWater), Deltares and ETH Zürich led...

Two recent developments presented at 11th International Precipitation Conference

Last week the 11th International Precipitation Conference took place, in Wageningen, Netherlands. FutureWater presented two recent outcomes: one on the spatial prediction of precipitation and the second on the effect of high-resolution rainfall products on small catchments. The first development presented by Johannes Hunink to experts in the field was the spatial mapping tool for...

Summer course on climate change and hydrological impacts

FutureWater will collaborate in a summer course at the Tecnnical University of Cartagena (UPCT), on decision support methods and tools that allow to anticipate, assess and adapt to hydrological changes linked to global change. FutureWater staff will expose different methodologies to carry out their studies in this field, including in Spain and Argentina. Also they...

Successful completion of the “Assessment of the irrigation potential” study

In February 2011 FutureWater in collaboration with WaterWatch started a research on the irrigation potential of the seven Nile Equatorial Lakes (NEL) countries, on behalf of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and in cooperation with the Regional Agriculture and Trade Program (RATP). In the first phase the countrywide irrigation potential was studied for Burundi, Kenya,...

Green Water Management and Credits Toolkit for China

In June 2012, a consortium of ISRIC, FutureWater, and Nelen en Schuurmans started the project, financed by Partners for Water/NL. Green Water Management & Credits is a concept that allows quantification of water supply and demand, erosion reduction, yield increase, sedimentation amounts, and hydropower production. These are needed to calculate the economic costs and benefits...

Peter Droogers appointed as Editor of Agricultural Water Management Journal

Peter Droogers, director of FutureWater, has been appointed as Editor of the scientific journal Agricultural Water Management. The journal publishes papers of international significance relating to the science, economics, and policy of agricultural water management. Peter responded to his nomination that “this appointment is a wonderful reflection of our scientific work at FutureWater over the...

A study on the use of high-resolution vs. coarse-resolution satellite imagery in crop yield forecasting

FutureWater has started a project that evaluates the added value of high-resolution satellite imagery above coarse resolution satellite imagery in crop yield forecasting. FutureWater undertakes this project in collaboration with the Soil Physics and Land Management Group of Wageningen University and eLeaf. This project is commissioned by CCAFS and funded by CIAT. The question of...

SPHY – Een model voor bodemvocht en verdamping in Nederland

FutureWater heeft de afgelopen maanden gewerkt aan een vlakdekkend hydrologisch model met de naam SPHY (Spatial Processes in HYdrology). Het model is ontwikkeld voor de berekening van het bodemvocht in de wortelzone en de verdamping voor heel Nederland. Op dagbasis worden hydrologische berekeningen gedaan voor gridcellen van 250 m x 250 m. Het model is...

Green Water Management and Credits Toolkit for China

In June 2012, a consortium of ISRIC, FutureWater, and Nelen en Schuurmans won the project, financed by Partners for Water. Green Water Management & Credits is a concept developed by ISRIC. It allows quantification of water supply and demand, erosion reduction, yield increase, sedimentation amounts, and hydropower production that is needed to calculate the economic...

Towards a Mekong Delta Portal

In a consortium led by Nelen & Schuurmans, the following consortium partners will work together on the Partners for Water subsidized project “Towards a Mekong Delta Portal”: Nelen & Schuurmans, FutureWater, Deltaris, DHV, and InTech. In this pilot project an integrated information portal of the river basins in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta is developed, implemented...

Hydrological flow forecasting in Chile

In the frame of the ESA Integrated Applications Promotion (IAP) programme (ARTES element 20), FutureWater participates in a project aiming at developing an operational hydrological flow forecasting system for two pilot catchments with hydropower facilities in Chile. In a consortium led by Starlab, FutureWater is responsible for the integration of remote sensing data and in...

FutureWater neemt deel aan Werkveldcommissie WUR Bodem Water Atmosfeer

De BSc.-studie Soil Water Atmosphere en MSc.-studie Earth and Environment van de WUR kennen een zogenaamde Werkveldcommissie. In deze commissie zitten vertegenwoordigers van bedrijven en instellingen waar afgestudeerden van WUR werkzaam zijn, zoals DHV, Rijkswaterstaat Waterdienst, TCB, Meteoconsult, het RIVM Lab voor Ecologische Risico-beoordeling en Witteveen+Bos. FutureWater maakt onderdeel uit van deze commissie in de...

Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme

Within the framework of the Himalayan Climate Change Adaptation Programme (HICAP) coordinated by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), FutureWater has started an assessment of future water availability scenarios for the upstream Indus, Brahmaputra and Ganges basins. The HICAP programme focuses on seven components: 1. Climate change scenarios 2. Water availability and demand...

Green Water Credits Proof of Concepts workshop in Fèz, Morocco

During 12-16 December 2011, FutureWater was in Fèz for a workshop to finalize the Proof-of-Concepts phase of the Green Water Credits (GWC) project in the Sebou River basin, Morocco. Green Water Credits is a mechanism for payments to land users in return for specified soil and water management activities that determine the water supply to...

FutureWater verhuisd naar nieuwe locatie

FutureWater is sinds 9 december 2011 verhuisd naar een nieuw adres. Ons nieuwe adres biedt meer mogelijkheden met betrekking tot vergader ruimten en werkplekken. Het nieuwe adres is: FutureWater Costerweg 1V 6702 AA Wageningen The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)317 460050

FutureWater presents the DMIAT for Vietnam during the Water & Climate Services workshop

In November, NL EVD International commissioned a call to write a proposal for an ‘Early Deliverable’ to be presented in Vietnam. The call to write a proposal was send to the partners of the ‘Convenant Informatieketen voor Water en Klimaat’ (CIWK). FutureWater, among Neelen & Schuurmans and HKV, were selected to present an ‘Early Deliverable’...

Two workshops finalize Design Phase of Green Water Credits – Kenya

A pre-concluding workshop for Green Water Credits Kenya, Phase II, was held from 6-7 September 2011 in Nairobi, focused on decision makers. Peter Droogers of FutureWater assisted this meeting and presented the key findings and conclusions of the biophysicial and cost-benefit analysis. The meeting has been followed by a concluding workshop targeted at all the...

Final meeting of erosion and reservoir sedimentation study in Kenya

A meeting was organized to present the final report of the Physiographical Baseline Survey for the Upper Tana Catchment Area in Kenya, carried out by a team of nearly twenty local and international experts during one year. The event was organized in the Tana headquarters of the national water authority (WRMA), in Embu, the 9th...

FutureWater bij kick-off meeting SBIR

Op donderdag 26 mei 2011 was FutureWater aanwezig bij de kick-off meeting van het SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) programma van AgentschapNL. Begin 2010 is er vanuit het SBIR gestart met 100 aanmeldingen. Hieruit zijn 20 projecten geselecteerd die een haalbaarheidsstudie konden gaan uitvoeren. Aan 6 bedrijven, waaronder FutureWater, wordt nu geld beschikbaar gesteld om...

FutureWater aanwezig in panel van klimaatexperts

Walter Immerzeel van FutureWater is gevraagd om zitting te nemen in een panel bestaande uit vooraanstaande klimaat en gletsjer deskundigen, waaronder drie nobel prijswinnaars. Persverklaring downloaden via deze link (in engels) Volledig rapport downloaden via deze link (in engels)

Irrigatie potentie studie in Burundi, Oost DRC, Kenia, Rwanda, Zuid Sudan, Tanzania en Uganda

De druk op de landen gelegen in het stroomgebied van de Nijl is de afgelopen jaren flink toegenomen. Bevolkingsgroei heeft daar een grote bijdrage aan geleverd. Een gevolg hiervan is dat de voedsel produktie &#233&#233n van de hoogste prioriteiten heeft bij beleidsmakers. Irrigatie en verbeterd waterbeheer hebben de potentie om de agrarische produktiviteit in het...

Green Water Credits workshop in Fez, Marokko

In de week van 21-25 maart was FutureWater in Fez, Marokko, voor een workshop van Green Water Credits (GWC) in het stroomgebied van de Sebou. Green Water Credits is een mechanisme/werkwijze waarbij landgebruikers vergoedingen krijgen in ruil voor bepaalde bodem en water management strategië die bijdragen aan een betere watervoorziening voor de belanghebbenden in het...

Haalbaarheidsstudie Klimaat Adaptieve Drainage afgerond

FutureWater heeft, in consortium met Kuipers Electronic Engineering, de Bakelse Stroom, en Ad van Iersel, de eerste fase van het SBIR project met succes afgerond. De haalbaarheidsstudie heeft aangetoond dat het concept van Klimaat Adaptieve Drainage technisch, bestuurlijk en financieel haalbaar is, en dat het commercieel aantrekkelijk is voor het consortium. Volgens de financiële analyse...

Door FutureWater gesponsorde roeiploeg Caramba sluit succesvol seizoen af

De roeiploeg Caramba van roeivereniging R.S.V.U. Okeanos uit Amsterdam heeft de afgelopen periode 2009/2010 hard geroeid. Caramba heeft een uitermate succesvol seizoen achter de rug en is derde van Nederland geworden in de NOOC Chris Heuvelman bokaal voor b4+-boten. Het roeiteam Caramba De roeisters van Caramba zijn Sabrina Chettouf, Laurien Verkleij, Maaike Droogers en Stephany...

WaterMaps gelanceerd: verkennen van modelresultaten op internet

FutureWater lanceert een web toepassing die tijds-afhankelijke uitvoer van simulatie modellen met de functionaliteit van Google Maps combineert. De interface is ontwikkeld voor iedereen met toegang tot internet en biedt de mogelijkheid om model resultaten op het web te verkennen. WaterMaps is een eenvoudig toepassing die het mogelijk maakt met weinig inspanning een project pagina...

Publicatie over klimaatverandering en voedselvoorziening in Science

Wetenschappers van FutureWater en de Universiteit Utrecht publiceren een artikel in Science over klimaatverandering en voedselvoorziening in Azië. Meer dan 60 miljoen mensen in Azië worden door klimaatverandering bedreigd in hun voedselzekerheid in de komende tientallen jaren. Dit is omdat de hoeveelheid smeltwater van sneeuw en ijs in een deel van de Himalaya sterk zal...

Nieuw project over erosie en stuwmeren in Kenia

Een nieuw project voor het Tana stroomgebied van Kenia is toegewezen aan een internationaal consortium waarvan FutureWater deel uitmaakt. Het doel is een totaal beeld te krijgen van de bodem erosie en het sediment transport stroomopwaarts van de belangrijkste stuwmeren. Dit om inzicht te verkrijgen in de impact van het sediment op de capaciteit van...

FutureWater rapporten nu ook beschikbaar als paperback

Hardcopies van de FutureWater rapporten die in 2008 en 2009 verschenen zijn kunnen nu online worden besteld op het Lulu uitgeversplatform. De publicaties worden afgedrukt als paperback en vervolgens verzonden. De prijs van de rapporten varieert rond de 15 euro, afhankelijk van het aantal pagina’s. FutureWater hoopt dat deze optie de toegang tot de resultaten...

Sint blij met klimaatverandering

De Sint hoeft steeds minder op zijn hoede te zijn voor gladde daken. Het is in de periode dat Sinterklaas in het land is veel minder koud geworden. In vergelijking met het begin van de vorige eeuw is het aantal vorstdagen dat Sinterklaas meemaakt gehalveerd. Dit is gebleken uit een analyse die FutureWater heeft uitgevoerd...

Jan van Bakel te gast bij FutureWater

Vanaf 1 januari 2010 gaat Jan van Bakel (De Bakelse Stroom) één dag in de week kantoor houden bij FutureWater, om uitwisseling van hun specifieke expertise en netwerk te stimuleren. Jan blijft wel volkomen zelfstandig functioneren. Dit zijn Jan van Bakel en Peter Droogers (FutureWater) afgelopen week overeengekomen. De gezamenlijke kantoorruimte bevindt zich in Wageningen...

Nieuw project klimaatsverandering in Kenia

FutureWater heeft een nieuw project toegekend gekregen door de stichting SANET dat als doel heeft de mogelijke gevolgen van klimaatsverandering te evalueren voor de rijst productiesystemen aan het Victoria meer. Er is een eerste bezoek gebracht aan het gebied in september en op dit moment wordt een tool ontwikkeld die de analyse mogelijk maakt. Meer...

Toekomstige onderzoeksthema’s Voedsel en Water

Het Duitse ministerie van Onderwijs en Onderzoek (BMBF) heeft verschillende belangrijke onderzoeksprogramma’s op het gebied van integraal waterbeheer en klimaatverandering. BMBF is momenteel bezig de toekomstige onderzoeksthema’s te identificeren op dit gebied door een analyse te doen van al het internationale onderzoek en beleid inclusief de meest recente ontwikkelingen. FutureWater werd gevraagd steun te verlenen...

Workshop in Kenia over Green Water Credits succesvol afgerond

Deze maand vond een workshop plaats in het kader van het Green Water Credits project in Kenia. FutureWater organiseerde de workshop voor de plaatselijke autoriteiten in het stroomgebied van de Tana rivier. De beginselen van het financiële mechanisme werden besproken en de kwantitatieve tools en methoden ontwikkeld door FutureWater werden overhandigd en aan de lokale...

FutureWater houdt presentatie bij verdampingsdag NHV

Momenteel is FutureWater bezig met een inventarisatie naar de mogelijkheden om Penman-Monteith referentieverdamping te regionaliseren in Nederland. De huidige standaard voor referentieverdamping in Nederland is momenteel Makkink. Internationaal is de standaard echter Penman-Monteith. FutureWater inventariseert bij weergerelateerde organisaties binnen Nederland welke benodigde variabelen voor gebruik van Penman-Monteith worden gemeten. Daarnaast adviseert FutureWater over de mogelijke...

Onderzoek naar verondersteld verband Q koorts en omgevingsfactoren

Samen met het RIVM start FutureWater een onderzoeksproject naar de mogelijke relatie tussen Q-koorts besmetting bij mensen en de lokale fysieke omgevingsfactoren rondom de besmette landbouw bedrijven. Er zijn sterke aanwijzingen dat de verspreiding van de bacterie afhangt van weersomstandigheden, bodem (type, gebruik, vochtigheid), vegetatie en wind. De doelstelling van het project is vaststellen of...

Workshop in Kenia over Green Water Credits

Een hoofdcomponent van het Green Water Credits project is het evalueren van de meest geschikte en efficiente bodem- en waterbeheer opties. De kwantitatieve hulpmiddelen en methodes die door FutureWater ontwikkeld worden, zullen worden overhandigd aan de Keniaanse waterbeheerders. Het overdragen van deze kennis begint met een workshop die gehouden wordt tijdens de tweede week van...

Ontwikkeling SWAP-GIS omgeving voor de Vlaamse Milieu Maatschappij

Recent is FutureWater begonnen met het ontwikkelen van een SWAP-GIS omgeving voor de Vlaamse Milieu Maatschappij. In dit interessante project wordt samen met GIM een instrumentarium ontwikkeld dat gebruikt kan worden om voor grote gebieden het SWAP model ruimtelijk op te zetten. Meer informatie kan hier gevonden worden.

Verdere uitbreiding van het FutureWater team

Sinds januari 2009 is het FutureWater team versterkt met Dr. J.M. (Hanneke) Schuurmans. Hanneke is recent gepromoveerd aan de Universiteit Utrecht en zal zich bezig houden met zowel Nederlands en buitenlandse projecten.

Ondersteuning van het Nile Basin Initative in verschillende projecten

Sinds eind 2008 heeft FutureWater verschillende activiteiten voor het Nile Basin Initative uitgevoerd. Er werd een training gegeven in het gebruik van remote sensing en modellen en daarnaast werd ook de geschiktheid van een aantal gebieden voor het intensiveren van geiirigeerde landbouw beoordeeld. Meer details via: Mogelijkheden voor irrigatie rond Victoria Meer, Tanzania [in het...

Droogte effecten van nieuwe klimaatscenarios in noord Nederland dramatisch

In 2006 heeft het KNMI nieuwe klimaatscenarios gepubliceerd. Aan de hand van deze scenarios heeft FutureWater een update uitgevoerd van een droogtestudie naar de effecten van klimaatverandering op de landbouw. De voornaamste conclusie van deze update is dat de effecten van droogte op de landbouw in noord Nederland dramatisch zijn en veel ernstiger dan op...

FutureWater neemt deel aan groot EU onderzoeksproject in Tibet

FutureWater is partner in een internationaal samenwerkingsproject tussen Europa en Azie. Het project richt zich op het vergoten van de kennis van de hydrologie en meteorologie van het Tibetaanse plateau en de invloed op het klimaat, de moesson en extreme gebeurtenissen. Dit project borduurt verder op 10 jaar ervaring in experimenteel onderzoek en modelstudies. Het...

Water management en remote sensing

FutureWater is recent gestart met een project dat aanbevelingen voor toekomstige satellietmissies van de ESA voor water management in kaart brengt. Het project richt zich op het integreren van een aantal remote sensing producten (GRACE, SEBAL, TRMM) met een hydrologisch simulatiemodel. Meer details kunnen hier gevonden worden.

NWO-Casimir beurs voor moesson onderzoek

Dr. Walter Immerzeel is een Casimir beurs toegekend door NWO. In nauwe samenwerking met de Universiteit Utrecht zal hij de moesson dynamiek gaan onderzoeken in de Himalayas en een systeem ontwikkelen om overstromingen te voorspellen.

Gebruik van regenradar in het waterbeheer

FutureWater heeft de bruikbaarheid van regenradargegevens onderzocht voor het waterschap Rivierenland. Meer informatie kan hier gevonden worden.

FutureWater brengt wateroverlast en klimaatverandering in kaart

FutureWater ondersteunt de VU en het Waterloopkundig Laboratorium bij het in kaart brengen van wateroverlast met behulp van een innovatieve methode. Meer details kunnen hierworden gevonden.

Uitbreiding China activiteiten

FutureWater is recent gestart met een project dat zich richt op de ontwikkeling van een grondwater management pakket in China. Meer details kunnen gevonden worden op de GMEP website.

FutureWater brengt kennisprojecten adaptatie en klimaat in kaart

FutureWater heeft kennisprojecten met betrekking tot adaptatie aan klimaatverandering en ruimtelijke ordening in kaart gebracht en de resultaten van deze inventarisatie kunnen bekeken worden op de website.

Klimaatverandering in de Himalaya

FutureWater heeft recent een studie afgerond naar de effecten van klimaatverandering in het stroomgebied van de Brahmaputra in de Himalaya. De resulten zijn samengevat in een recente uitgave van het mountain forum bulletin.

Margje Soet versterkt FutureWater in China

Sinds 1 april versterkt Margje Soet FutureWater. Vanuit Beijing zal zij alle FutureWater activiteiten in China ondersteunen.

KlimaatScan

Een snelle analyse om de klimaatbestendigheid van watersystemen te testen Het klimaat is aan het veranderen en de uitdaging voor waterbeheerders is om te anticiperen op deze veranderingen. De meeste plannen voor klimaatbestendigheid zijn gebaseerd op de WB21 scenario’s, maar door nieuwe inzichten zijn deze WB21 scenario’s recent geactualiseerd en vervangen door de KNMI’06 scenario’s....

FutureWater organiseert klimaatcursus

Ons klimaat is aan het veranderen. Nieuwe inzichten hebben geleid tot nieuwe klimaatscenario’s: drogere zomers, nattere winters, meer extremen, grotere rivierafvoeren en zeespiegelstijging. Waterbeheerders moeten hier op inspelen, maar hebben te maken met vragen als: hoe zeker zijn deze scenario’s, is er een groot verschil tussen de “oude” en “nieuwe” KNMI scenario’s, hoe kunnen neerslagreeksen...

FutureWater introduceert innovatieve model kalibratie

In 2006 en een deel van 2007 heeft FutureWater samen met het International Water Management Institute (IWMI) gewerkt aan een gezamenlijk project in India.Het project werd deels gesubsidieerd door het Nederlands Instituut voor Vliegtuigontwikkeling en Ruimtevaart (NIVR)in het kader van hun gebruikers ondersteuning programma. Het project heeft een innvatieve methode geintroduceerd, welke door satelliet gemeten...

Klimaatverandering te zien op Google Earth

Het klimaatpanel van de Verenigde Naties, dat vandaag in Parijs zijn nieuwe rapport over het broeikaseffect presenteert, laat zien dat de temperatuur op aarde deze eeuw nog stijgt met zeker 1,1 tot mogelijk 6,4 graden. Deze temperatuurstijging en ook veranderingen in neerslag kunnen lokaal echter aanzienlijk verschillen. Deze lokale verschillen in klimaatverandering heeft FutureWater vanaf...

Green Water Credits

FutureWater is betrokken bij de introductie van een nieuw innovatief concept: Green Water Credits (GWC). GWC is een mechanisme dat de beschikbaarheid van schoon water vergroot bij de bron door de landbouw bevolking financieel te compenseren om bepaalde water management activiteiten uit te voeren. Deze activiteiten wordt op dit moment niet als dusdaning erkend. Groen...

Klimaatverandering en het Nederlandse bos

Klimaatverandering zal tot een verschuiving van de geo-spreiding van bossen en boshabitattypen leiden. Staatsbosbeheer is verantwoordelijk voor beslissingen die, gezien de lange ontwikkelingstijd van bossen (meer dan 100 jaar), grote maatschappelijke en economische gevolgen hebben. Het is voor bosbeheerders daarom van belang om meer inzicht te hebben in de gevoeligheid van bossen voor klimaatverandering. Weinig...

WatManSup: Integrated Water Management Support Methodologies

Het komende jaar gaat FutureWater werken aan een nieuw Partners voor Water project. Samen met onze partners in dit project, het Instituut voor Milieuvraagstukken (IVM) van de VU Amsterdam en het waterschap Hunze en Aa's, zullen we organisaties in Kenia en Turkije bijstaan in hun verandering naar een meer proactief waterbeheer. Het WatManSup-project heeft als...

Waterbeheer en de nieuwe KNMI klimaatscenario’s

Het KNMI heeft op 30 mei 2006 de nieuwe klimaatscenario’s aangeboden aan Staatssecretaris Schultz van Haegen. Een uitgebreide promotiecampagne, inclusief Gerrit Hiemstra die een fictieve weersverwachting voor 2040 presenteerde, moet het gebruik van deze nieuwe scenario’s stimuleren. De grote vraag voor waterbeheerders is niet zozeer in hoeverre deze scenario’s afwijken van de oude WB21 scenario’s,...

De hydrologische cyclus van het stroomgebied van de Krishna (India)

FutureWater is recentelijk een subsidie toegekend door het Nederlandse Instituut voor Vliegtuig ontwikkeling en Ruimtevaart (NIVR) voor het uitvoeren van een onderzoeksproject in het stroomgebied van de Krishna rivier in India. In samenwerking met het International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is FutureWater begonnen aan het opzetten van een systematische koppeling tussen informatie verkregen met behulp...

Samenwerking met Tterra, Portugal

Tterra e FutureWater trabalham em parceria, reunindo o conhecimento local com os métodos mais modernos de avaliação de disponibilidade de água. A parceria Tterra-FutureWater tem como interlocutor uma engenheira da FutureWater que trabalha em estreita ligação com a Tterra, em Portugal. Para actividades a concretizar em Portugal, técnicos especialistas da FutureWater permanecerão por um período...

Droogte- en natschade onder wijzigende afvoernormen

Opdrachtgever: Waterschap Hunze en Aa’s FutureWater onderzoekt landbouwschade door: Verminderde gewasgroei als gevolg van te natte bodem Verminderde gewasgroei als gevolg van te droge bodem Natschade door slechte berijdbaarheid en bewerkbaarheid tijdens poten en oogsten. Deze drie aspecten zijn vergeleken bij drie verschillende afvoercapaciteiten (Huidig, Overgedimensioneerd, NBW). Meer informatie: Droogers, P. en Besten, J. den....

Hydrologische analyse van de Rio Bravo in Mexico.

FutureWater heeft in opdracht van de Wereld Bank de hydrologische eigenschappen van het stroomgebied van de Rio Bravo in Mexico in kaart gebracht. Het stroomgebied beslaat een oppervlakte van meer dan 600000 km2, waarvan 50% zich in Mexico bevindt. Er zijn in het stroomgebied grote water tekorten ten gevolge van jarenlang niet duurzaam gebruik van...

Positieve en negatieve effecten van drainage in Fryslân

Opdrachtgever: Wetterskip Fryslân Als gevolg van ontwikkelingen in de landbouw en klimaatverandering is het te verwachten dat er wijzigingen zullen optreden in de hoeveelheid en intensiteit van buisdrainage. Het is niet duidelijk hoe deze wijzigingen zullen doorwerken op de afvoeren van landbouwgebieden op de Friese boezem. FutureWater heeft de invloed van veranderende buisdrainage in Fryslân...

FutureWater geeft training op workshop in Uganda

SEI (Stockholm Environment Institute) en ASARECA (Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa) organiseerden een “Joint Learning Platform and Profession Development Workshop” in Entebbe, Uganda. Het thema van de workshop was “The Green Water Paradigm”. Tijdens de workshop gaf Peter Droogers een specifieke trainingsmodule op het gebied van modelleren, Remote Sensing en...

Ronald Loeve naar “High Level Dialogue” in China

Ronald Loeve is in november naar de “High Level Dialogue” van de resultaten van het project “Increasing Water Productivity in Rice-bases Cropping Systems” in Zhengzhou, China geweest. Meerdere onderzoekers en beleidsmakers uit de provincies Henan en Hubei en van de centrale overheid in Beijing kwamen naar de dialoog om ideeën uit te wisselen en te...

Verdampingsreductieverkenning in de Hai Basin, China

FutureWater heeft het Hai stroomgebied (Hai Basin) in China gemodelleerd met behulp van het SWAT model. De Bohai Zee in het noordwesten van de Gele Zee heeft een van de hoogste ecologische waarde ter wereld. Echter de Bohai Zee lijdt onder overbevissing, vervuiling en sterk verminderde instroom van zoetwater uit bovenstroomse stroomgebieden. Het Hai stroomgebied...

De watertoren functie in Tibet

Samen met verschillende project partners is FutureWater actief betrokken geweest bij een project in Tibet, dat gefinancierd werd door het “Ecoregional Fund”. Een combinatie van Remote Sensing en hydrologisch modelleren is toegepast om Tibet’s waterhuishouding in kaart te brengen. De nadruk in het project is gelegd op het beoordelen van de effectiviteit van dit soort...

FutureWater verhuist naar Wageningen “internationale kennisstad”

Wageningen met haar internationaal toonaangevende kennisinstellingen zoals Wageningen Universiteit en verschillende onderzoeksinstituten is een inspirerende omgeving voor FutureWater. Ons nieuwe adres is: FutureWater Generaal Foulkesweg 28 6703 BS Wageningen tel: 0317 460050 fax: 0317 423716 email: info@futurewater.nl web: https://www.futurewater.nl Een routebeschijving vindt u hier

Mogelijkheden tot vasthouden van water in Flevoland

FutureView methode toegepast Met behulp van de FutureView methode is gekeken waar dit vasthouden van water gerealiseerd zou kunnen worden en hoeveel water vastgehouden kan worden. De studie heeft laten zien dat hier zeker mogelijkheden voor zijn. Vooral in de Noordoostpolder en Oostelijk Flevoland kan een groot gedeelte van de wateropgave worden opgelost door de...

Adaptatie strategieën voor klimaatverandering in Gambia

FutureWater heeft het project adaptatie strategieën voor klimaatverandering in Gambia succesvol afgerond. De projectdoelen waren om de institutionele capaciteit te vergroten, het ontwikkelen en implementeren van analytische methoden (raamwerk) om de kosten en baten van adaptatie projecten te kunnen evalueren. Om deze projectdoelen te verwezenlijken is een raamwerk samen met onze Gambiaanse partners opgezet. Mondiale...

De (on)zekerheid van klimaatverandering

Het Nationaal Bestuursakkoord Water (NBW) gaat uit van een verandering van de neerslag die samenhangt met een mondiale temperatuurstijging van 1°C in 2050 en 2°C aan het eind van de 21e eeuw. Berekeningen van neerslagverwachtingen gedaan met grootschalige klimaatmodellen, uitgaande van een hoge uitstoot van broeikasgassen, zijn vergeleken met deze toekomstbeelden uit het NBW. De...

Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (AHN) correctie

Voor veel beleid- en onderzoekstudies op het gebied van waterbeheer en waterbeleid is het van belang om maaiveldhoogten te weten. FutureWater introduceert een correctie op het AHN, waarmee de actuele minimale maaiveldhoogte nog nauwkeuriger kan worden bepaald. In het AHN is de laagste maaiveldhoogte vaak het open water, echter met deze methode wordt dit open...

Publicatielijst online

Als onderdeel van onze download sectie heeft FutureWater nu een online publicatielijst als extra service aan onze website bezoekers. De publicatielijst bestaat uit geselecteerde (wetenschappelijke) publicaties met links en mogelijkheden om de samenvattingen of zelfs de volledige publicaties te bekijken. Voor meer informatie over onze publicaties, nodigen wij u uit om een kijkje te nemen...

FutureWater’s nieuwe product: FutureView

In mei is het FUTUREVIEW, het nieuwe product van FutureWater op de markt gezet. FUTUREVIEW is een regionale analyse van mogelijkheden om huidige en toekomstige neerslagoverschotten vast te houden. De FUTUREVIEW methode is bijzonder geschikt om te bepalen waar de mogelijkheden en onmogelijkheden liggen in het waterbeheer. FUTUREVIEW is uniek aangezien het zich minder richt...

Klimaatcursus FutureWater, KNMI en IVM succesvol

Op 3 en 4 februari werd de cursus Klimaatverandering en Waterbeheer gegeven bij het KNMI in de Bilt. De cursus in samenwerking met het KNMI en het Instituut voor Milieuvraagstukken (IVM) had als doelstelling een brug te leggen tussen de meest actuele kennis van de klimatologie en het praktische waterbeheer. De cursisten werden op de...

Stuwen in Flevoland helpen wateropgave oplossen

Het principe van vasthouden-bergen-afvoeren, zoals aanbevolen door de Commissie Waterbeheer 21e Eeuw, wordt daadwerkelijk tot uitvoer gebracht in dit pilot-project van Waterschap Zuiderzeeland. FutureWater heeft de bijdrage van de nieuwe regelbare stuwen aan vasthouden en bergen berekend, de optimale inzet van de stuwen bepaald en mogelijke schade berekend die bovenstrooms zou kunnen ontstaan door het...