The challenges of developing an irrigation strategy for UK agriculture and horticulture in 2020: industry and research priorities

In many countries, including the UK, water resources are under intense stress with recent droughts highlighting the risks to the security of supplies for different sectors including domestic water supply, industry, agriculture (including horticulture), power generation and the environment. A changing climate with greater rainfall uncertainty, coupled with new regulations, increasing competition for water and demands for sustainable development will only exacerbate the current situation, with major supply-demand imbalances expected over the next few decades. In the UK, irrigated agriculture constitutes a volumetrically small but economically high value use of water, to maximise crop yields and quality. However, the importance of irrigation is also changing; driven by the intensification and transformation of the agricultural sector, the need to recognise water as an 'essential' use, policy incentives to increase domestic food production and an industry imperative to increase water use efficiency and ensure agricultural expansion can continue to underpin the rural economy. This review considers the key climate and water-related risks facing the agricultural and horticultural crop sectors, the various environmental, regulatory and business externalities or 'drivers for change', and the strategic priorities for action, both from industry and research perspectives.