1st Stakeholder meeting – STATE AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATION SYSTEM IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Jun 14, 2021 | Events

Smartwater.eu 1st multistakeholder meeting was held online on 9th June 2021, with than 30 participants.

Within Smartwater.eu, 1st multistakeholder meeting was held online on 9th June 2021, from 10 to 12:30. More than 30 participants joined, actively participating in a workshop that aims to initiate a discussion between actors (with a specific focus on farmers’ feedback) on the issue of the lack of irrigation systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Difficult factors are behind this problem, and some of them are clearly indicated by the farmers during this two-and-half hours workshop.

Overall, fruitful discussion can be summed up in following conclusions:

  • Dissemination of information and data are necessary in order to engage more stakeholders and share best-practice examples and up-to-date information.
  • A common conclusion is that climate changes are here and the farmers are aware of the effects of the same. We could find multiple negative effects of climate change within farmers business.
  • Small-scale producers are changing, they are much more aware of the benefits of irrigation systems, and they are adapting to the climate, market requirements;
  •  Lack of money is an ever-present issue within the agricultural sector, so stronger money allocation i.g. rural development fund should be focused on the development of irrigation systems; as well as investment in farmers capacities and abilities to apply modern practices, investment in infrastructure;

     

  • Both large and individual irrigation systems must exist and operate together, but „water associations“ are not an option, instead local communities should take a more active role in creating „water communities“ and water management (one of the proposed solutions is that local organizations for water treatment take that role – farmers would easier accept to pay the bill for water management and then realize benefits that they could achieve from irrigation systems, and water will on this way be under the control/management);

     

  • Irrigation systems are the future for stronger agricultural development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and role of SMARTWATER project plays important role in such development;