Between 4 and 11 July, the WAVE Partnership held a series of in-person workshops and events in the Aconcagua Valley in Chile, kicking off its three-year strategy for bringing the catchment back into balance. 

Water is becoming an ever scarcer resource. The impacts of climate change and overproduction on water security are becoming clear in real time. Agriculture is both a driver and victim of this, representing over 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, whilst increasingly being affected by droughts and other climate impacts.

Yet most projects and programmes in agriculture aimed at addressing this fall into the same trap. They focus heavily on technical solutions at farm level, without adequately addressing the market dynamics or enabling the environment needed to sustain them.

The WAVE Partnership thus focuses on building catchments in balance, where water inflows, outflows, and storage are sustainably managed to support ecosystems, communities, and long-term supply chain resilience. In doing so, it represents a shift from farm-level action to catchment-level water stewardship.

This article was produced in collaboration with New Foresight.

What is the WAVE Partnership

WAVE is a multi-stakeholder partnership consisting of supply chain partners, farmers, and government. Initiated in 2025, it is dedicated to scaling a collective action approach to strengthen water and biodiversity management in agriculture, with a focus on agri-food supply chains.

The WAVE Partnership has a three-tiered strategy focused on action at the level of farmers, supply chain, and enabling environment. It started in Chile and is gradually being scaled to other key origins at water risk, such as South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, and Mexico.

WAVE Aconcagua (2025-2028) is the first project under the WAVE Partnership. The collective action project was initiated through the RVO Partners for Water program, building on pioneering work by Nature’s Pride, the Government of the Netherlands, Greenticket, and NewForesight. The WAVE Aconcagua project is run by Nature’s Pride, Salling Group, Dole Food Company, Westfalia Fruit, the producer-driven Aconcagua Network, and the Government of the Netherlands, and is coordinated by NewForesight.

Learning from Aconcagua, Chile, brought to scale

Supported by the Partners for Water Programme, in 2023, we launched the organisation’s first project in Chile’s Aconcagua Valley – a supplier of high-quality avocado, citrus, cherries, and other fruits to the UK and EU markets – with avocado exports to these regions alone valued at 151.39 million USD per year.

However, the water balance is increasingly negative, as groundwater outflows exceed inflows due to unsustainable water extraction for agriculture and other sectors, coupled with climate change.

The NewForesight team, led by Joost Backer and Susanna Kluiver, together with Greenticket, Partners for Water, the Netherlands embassy in Chile, and Nature’s Pride, convened key actors – farmers, buyers, and government representatives – to help advance the Partnership’s goal of bringing the catchment back into balance. Between 4th and 11th July, the WAVE Partnership held a series of in-person events in Chile to kick off the next three years.

At the farm level we strengthened collaboration with the Aconcagua Network – a group of producers taking an active role in addressing these shared challenges. Together, we began work on the Regenerative Agriculture Guide to help farmers improve, measure, and communicate progress in areas such as water efficiency, water footprint, biodiversity restoration, reforestation, and carbon sequestration.

We also had the opportunity to visit Urmeneta (30 ha), Corporafruit (444 ha), and Jorge Schmidt (2,050 ha). From solar-powered irrigation to reforestation efforts and biodiversity conservation, these producers are actively implementing sustainable farming practices.

At the enabling environment level, we engaged with key government and institutional actors, including Chile’s national water authority (DGA), the Ministry of Environment, CORFO, ProChile, and regional representatives. These conversations signalled growing momentum for public–private collaboration. The WAVE Partnership aims to structurally raise dialogue at this catchment level.

At the buyer level, we engaged with teams from Nature’s Pride, Dole Food Company, and Westfalia Fruit to explore how market players can help drive the transformations needed for more sustainable and resilient supply chains. Buyers increasingly recognize the role they can play in incentivizing more sustainable farming practices and supporting producers through transition.

There is significant interest in understanding evolving demands from European markets, underscoring the importance of WAVE’s role as a bridge between producers and buyers. At the same time, producers expressed a clear need for simplification and alignment across certifications (e.g. RA, GlobalG.A.P., LEAF).

What happens next?

Water is not just a technical challenge, but a systems issue that needs to be addressed at a catchment level. This requires shared responsibility, smarter incentives, and collaborative governance. That is what the WAVE Partnership stands for; starting in Chile, and scaling up to other origins in the fresh fruits and vegetables sector.

The next steps in the partnership include deepening and expanding collaboration by engaging additional producers and strengthening ties with local governments, civil society, and the DGA. The partnership will also continue advancing work with producers on the Regenerative Agriculture Guide to support the measurement, communication, and implementation of sustainable agricultural practices.

Want to know more? Contact Joost Backer from NewForesight, the lead consultant in this work or Thaísa Martins Fernandes Pessanha from Partners for Water.

*WAVE stands for Water, Agriculture, Values, and Ecosystems – the key elements this Partnership aims to integrate into international trade and pre-competitive collaboration

In Kenya, 12.8 million people suffer from excessive fluoride exposure due to contaminated drinking water. This leads to health issues like bone deformation and discoloured teeth, as well as reduced job prospects. Now, for the first time, a consortium of four organisations has developed a unique, low-cost household filter that removes both bacteria and fluoride, without using electricity or wastewater. Funded by Partners for Water, this innovation seems to be a game changer. Nazava Water Filters’ Lieselotte Heederik and Marleen Ophorst explain more.

“Empowering households by giving them the opportunity to take control of their own water quality is the mission of Nazava Water Filters” explains Heederik, the organisation’s co-founder. Pursuing this goal, the consortium (consisting of Resilience BV, Nazava Water Filters Ltd, Harbauer Limited, and Delft University of Technology) has developed an innovative filter. It combines Nazava’s proven ceramic technology for removing bacteria with HAPaqua’s fluoride-absorbing unit, based on hydroxyapatite. Ophorst, Nazava Water Filters’ Project Manager, adds: “We believe in decentralised solutions that make safe drinking water – free from bacteria and fluoride – accessible to households in areas where that is far from guaranteed.”

Social enterprise with a mission

“Nazava is a for-profit social enterprise that has deliberately chosen a commercial model to deliver a social mission,” explains Heederik. “We believe this contributes to product sustainability and customer satisfaction. If our product doesn’t work, our customers will tell us. And if they don’t want it, they won’t buy it. The market keeps us accountable for quality and relevance.”

“Simultaneously, we are driven by a sense of justice,” Ophorst shares. “This combination makes us quite unique. There are very few companies in the water sector that combine a social mission with a commercial approach while focusing specifically on household-level solutions.”

Collaboration is key

According to Ophorst, the collaboration between the four partners runs smoothly: “Each organisation brings its own expertise. We all have a clear role and learn a lot from each other.” TU Delft contributes academic research, Harbauer brings fluoride removal expertise, and Resilience drives the project and oversees management. “We are truly complementary,” confirms Heederik. “That’s what makes the partnership strong.”

Why not reverse osmosis?

“Traditionally, fluoride contamination in drinking water is treated through reverse osmosis. But this isn’t a sustainable solution,” shares Heederik. “It’s expensive, energy-intensive, and produces wastewater.” The consortium’s solution is a true game changer. “Our filter works by gravity, completely without electricity,” says Ophorst. “That makes it much more accessible for both urban and rural households, but also allows NGOs working on water security to reach far more people, simply by reducing costs.”

Users at the centre

A major pillar of the project is involving end users. “For one month we tested our product among 50 households in Nakuru” says Ophorst. “Each week we asked them for honest feedback: ‘Don’t tell us what you think we want to hear, tell us what you really think.’” That open approach paid off. “Users even helped us think through improvements for rural communities lacking basic infrastructure and they also referred new customers who would benefit from this solution.”

“We remain in touch with our 50 first users,” Ophorst continues. “We’re still monitoring long-term performance; the amount of fluoride the filter continues to remove depends on the original water quality and how much is filtered.”

High demand and future prospects

Heederik and Ophorst have presented the project at various international conferences, including World Water Week in Stockholm and the World Water Forum in Bali, as well as events in Kenya. “At every conference, we’re reminded just how high the demand is for a sustainable bacteria and fluoride filter,” says Heederik. “We even received a call from a representative of the Nairobi dental association, showing interest in our product. That really confirms the scale of the problem.”

“People are recommending the filter to friends and family, and demand is growing,” says Ophorst. “This makes me incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past year and of the whole team involved.”

A game changer in the making

Although the product is still in the testing phase, early signs are promising. “We have a solution that is scalable, sustainable, and truly meets people’s needs,” says Ophorst. “People are already calling to ask: ‘Is it available yet?’” The consortium has submitted a new funding application to test the filter with users from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Heederik concludes with a clear invitation: “We’re actively looking for financial, technical, and operational partners who want to help bring this game changer forward. So we can bring the smiles back to the faces of children in Kenya.”

Malawi is increasingly grappling with severe flooding. As climate change intensifies, rainfall is becoming more extreme, leaving communities with little time to prepare. While early warning systems exist, they fall short when it comes to dealing with flash floods. Processing takes too long, predictions lack precision and crucial data is often inaccessible due to licensing restrictions and costly software. The result? People receive warnings too late or not at all, resulting in potential loss of life and damage to infrastructure and possessions.

Time for change. With support from the Partners for Water subsidy scheme, an effective collaboration between Royal HaskoningDHV (RHDHV), Malawi’s Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS), the Department of Water Resources (DWR), Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS) and the Netherlands Red Cross’ data and digital team, 510 (NLRC 510) has developed a revamped early warning system. By integrating improved forecasting models into the open-source Impact-Based Forecasting Portal (IBF), this initiative is setting a new benchmark for flood management in Malawi and beyond. The new system expands on what was already in place, enhancing key aspects that needed strengthening.

Building on the foundation of early warning systems

Malawi has long recognised the importance of early warning systems in protecting communities from flooding. However, many of the existing tools faced limitations that reduced their effectiveness, especially in the case of flash floods:

• Generalised predictions – Global datasets often lacked the local detail needed for accurate, on-the-ground forecasts.
• Delays in processing – In rapidly changing weather conditions, timely data delivery is critical. In the case of flash floods, most warnings arrive too late.
• Limited access – Many systems require costly licenses or are too complex for widespread use.
• Communication gaps – Even when warnings are issued, they do not always reach the right people, or be clearly understood at the community level.

By identifying these areas for improvement, the project team was able to develop a system that is faster, more accurate and inclusive.

The solution: IBF with advanced forecasting models

The team recognised the potential of NLRC 510’s Impact-Based Forecasting Portal (IBF) and wanted to expand its capabilities. Unlike many other tools, the IBF System does not just provide raw data; it offers an intuitive digital environment where all relevant information is consolidated. This enables disaster managers to make timely, well-informed decisions.

To make a real difference, IBF required an upgrade: A Flash Flood Forecasting Module. This new feature integrates local flood models with external rainfall data, significantly improving accuracy. The team had already developed advanced hydrodynamic and hydrological models for Karonga and Rumphi, two flood-prone cities, but they lacked a way to integrate these models into a functioning early warning system.

Partners for Water then stepped in on request, co-financing further development. As a result, IBF can now handle flash floods more effectively and is scalable for other regions facing climate-related challenges.

From forecasting to action: making warnings work

A high-tech forecasting system is great, but if people do not act on its warnings, it is useless. That is why IBF was designed with accessibility and usability in mind. In collaboration with UNICEF, MRCS and NLRC 510, several strategies were developed to ensure warnings lead to action such as:

• WhatsApp alert groups – Local meteorologists and disaster responders send daily updates and emergency warnings in real time.
• Local early warning systems – Megaphones, radio broadcasts and motorbike couriers ensure that even those without smartphones receive timely alerts.
• Warnings in local languages – By translating alerts into regional dialects, everyone can understand what is happening and what they need to do.

Thanks to this combination of digital and traditional communication channels, the system reaches even the most remote villages. People can now take precautionary measures and better prepare for extreme weather events.

Impact so far – and what comes next

With the new IBF System in place, Malawi is now far better equipped to handle flash floods. The system has already proven effective, issuing timely warnings that allowed authorities and residents to take preventive action.
However, there is still work to be done. The next steps for the government and local organisations in Malawi include:

• Expanding IBF to include more cities and rural areas.
• Further improving sensor networks to enhance real-time data accuracy.
• Securing long-term funding and full government adoption.

A system that endures

Where previous projects have struggled due to financial or technical constraints, IBF has been designed with sustainability in mind. The system is open-source and freely accessible, eliminating the need for costly software licenses. Additionally, the project has installed multiple monitoring stations equipped with rain gauges and water level sensors that continuously collect and process data.

However, funding remains a challenge. Sensors require maintenance, SIM cards need replacing and without structural resources, the system’s long-term effectiveness could be at risk. Herman de Jonge (RHDHV) stresses the importance of long-term financing, whether through government support, humanitarian funds, or the Early Action Protocol of MRCS, which releases emergency funding when critical thresholds , such as number of people at risk are reached.

A model for the future

The impact of this project extends well beyond Malawi. Thanks to Partners for Water’s funding, IBF can be rolled out through a broader part of Malawi. However, the impact of this project extends well beyond this East African country. The technology behind IBF is scalable and can be deployed in other climate-vulnerable regions. Moreover, the system is flexible and can be adapted to forecast other disasters, such as droughts, cyclones, or even diseases like malaria and dengue. This aligns closely with the United Nations Early Warnings for All programme, which aims to ensure that all communities worldwide have access to reliable early warning systems.

With an innovative approach and targeted investment in technology and accessibility, this project is setting a new standard in disaster prevention. With sustained resources, its impact could reach far beyond Malawi helping thousands, if not millions, of people prepare for an increasingly unpredictable climate.

In Kenya’s Rift Valley, millions rely on groundwater containing dangerous levels of fluoride, causing serious health issues in local communities. Julius Kubai, Director of Harbauer Limited, explains how he and his consortium partners are piloting an innovative household water treatment solution that simultaneously tackles both bacterial and fluoride contamination. Funded by Partners for Water, their unique solution aims to transform lives and make safe drinking water accessible to Kenyans.

After spending two decades working in Kenya’s water sector, Julius Kubai has witnessed first-hand the challenges communities face with contaminated groundwater. From his office in Nakuru, he shares how his journey from drilling water boreholes led to developing innovative solutions for fluoride removal. “I used to work with the local Catholic Diocese drilling water boreholes for local communities. While doing so, we consistently encountered dangerously high levels of fluoride. This pushed us to do research on appropriate technology to remove fluoride and provide safe drinking water,” explains Kubai.

In 2018, Harbauer Limited took over the fluoride removal project from the Catholic Diocese. Now, it focusses on providing filters and decentralised filter stations using HAP (hydroxylapatite) filter material for households, communities and public water suppliers. Harbauer Limited, with support from a Partners for Water subsidy together with consortium partners Resilience BV, Nazava Water Filters Ltd. and Delft University of Technology, is developing a fluoride-removing add-on to enhance the existing and widely used Nazava Water Filter, which removes bacteria from water.

Severe health issues

“In many areas, especially the Rift Valley, groundwater fluoride levels are two to six times higher than the World Health Organisation’s guideline that prescribes a maximum of 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per litre of drinking water,” says Kubai. “The impact on communities is severe. Beyond brown teeth, which affects people’s self-esteem and even job opportunities, excessive fluoride can cause skeletal fluorosis – a chronic metabolic bone disease affecting bones and joints. Growing children are particularly vulnerable to these effects.”

Rift Valley where the fluoride problem occurs.

Innovative water filter solution

Harbauer Limited has demonstrated success in cleaning groundwater using HAPaqua, a special adsorbent that significantly reduces fluoride concentration. “We’re now piloting our fluoride removal technology with Nazava Water Filter’s existing ceramic filter system,” Kubai explains. “What makes our solution truly innovative is that we’re addressing two critical water quality issues at once – bacterial and fluoride contamination – at the household level.”

Testing and development

“Currently, we’re running parallel experiments with two different water sources. One in our office compound and one in a nearby community,” says Kubai. “The water source from the community has around 10 milligrams of fluoride per litre, while the one in our office compound has about 5 milligrams. This comparative testing helps us understand how the filter performs under different conditions.” While doing so, the project brings together the expertise from its multiple partners: Resilience BV leads the consortium, with Nazava Water Filters Ltd. contributing their established ceramic water filter technology. The partners are collaborating with TU Delft and Harbauer in designing and testing the new add-on component whilst ensuring community involvement.

Community-centered approach

“Our goal isn’t just to create a filter – it’s to develop a solution that communities will actually use,” stresses Kubai. “By June, we aim to have an affordable household filter that has been tested by the community. Their feedback on design and usability is crucial. We want to ensure the final product meets their needs and is acceptable to them before scaling up.” Looking ahead, Kubai is optimistic about the project’s potential impact. “Once we have a solution that’s both affordable and meets community needs, we plan to expand throughout Kenya’s fluoride-affected areas, making safe drinking water accessible to all Kenyans who need it.”

Nineteen years ago, Haanen sold his software company in the Netherlands and moved to Africa with his wife to work for various NGOs and government organisations. After working in Ghana, Tanzania and Kenya, they settled in Zambia, where they established the Jacana Foundation, which supports small-scale local entrepreneurs. “During our travels, we saw NGOs buying products directly from manufacturers and delivering them by lorry to villages. Often, this forced local shops to dump the same products, creating unfair competition. So, we thought, let’s see how we could do this differently,” Haanen explains. With Jacana, they developed a supply chain that collaborates with NGOs and local shop owners, with the initial focus on an affordable portable solar pump to address water scarcity among Zambian farmers .

The project turned out to be a success. Now, with consortium partner MetaMeta and funding from Partners for Water, they plan to develop and roll out the concept over the next two years across Zambia and beyond.

Innovative solar pomp

In sunny Zambia, Haanen shows Tabitha Bakker, writer of this article, on a digital tour of Jacana’s office grounds, which serve as both a workshop for the innovative pump and a training centre for local entrepreneurs. A water drum and solar panel stand in the middle of the lawn in front of the office. “Look,” says Haanen, lifting a small blue pump from the drum, “the farmer places this pump in a stream or well. The portable solar panel powers the pump, drawing water through the hose from the source.” He explains that not only is the pump innovative, but so is its distribution model.

Changing the supply chain

“We’ve developed a supply chain that connects local distributors, shops and NGOs. The NGOs provide farmers with vouchers to purchase a pump at a local shop for a small fee. This personal contribution is shared between the shop owner and the warehouse. Rather than NGOs delivering pumps by lorry, they now travel by scooter with vouchers in their backpacks, benefiting local entrepreneurs too.”

Affordable irrigation technology

“The innovative aspect of this irrigation technology is that it’s extremely affordable,” explains Haanen. “Typically, pumps are designed for larger water consumption. By adapting the pump to smallholder farmers’ consumption needs, it’s become much more affordable. A farmer can recover the cost with just one good maize harvest – they don’t even need a coupon or credit for that.”

Tracking the impact

The project’s impact reaches beyond the voucher recipients. “Farmers from the recipients’ networks are also buying pumps. They’ve seen the success of the voucher programme, know where to find the shops and because the pump is affordable, they can purchase it without sponsorship.” Through a specially designed app, NGOs can track pump sales from shops and warehouses, monitoring their impact beyond the initial voucher programme.

Scaling up through partnerships

“Currently, we’re working with nine local shops, a local warehouse, MetaMeta and a Chinese manufacturer for large-scale production,” says Haanen. “MetaMeta manages various SMART Centres (Simple Market-based Affordable Repairable Technologies) across Africa. These centres train the local private sector in affordable and repairable technologies for water, irrigation and sanitation. Through this network, we aim to extend our pump and supply chain model to other African countries.”

From testing to expanding

The consortium is six months into this two-year Partners for Water project. “In this first phase, we’re testing seventy Zambian-made pumps to optimise the supply chain and software. In parallel, we’re working with a Chinese manufacturer to develop a version for mass production. Next week, I’m visiting the factory to finalise material choices before production begins. And in a year and a half? We aim to have fully rolled out the concept in Zambia and be ready for international expansion.”

How do we address Southern Africa’s increasing water security challenges?

One effective approach is to develop a water availability and demand decision-making tool designed by users for users. The GLOW consortium – Global Water Availability Forecasting Service – has been diligently working on such an instrument. Matthew Damons, Water and Environmental Scientist at Emanti Management, shares his thoughts about the collaboration between the two partners. Their key to success? “Open dialogue with their cross-border partners and stakeholders.”

From his office in Stellenbosch, South Africa, Matthew Damons calls in to discuss the key components of the successful collaboration within the GLOW project, which is funded by Partners for Water. Matthew is an environmental and water scientist at consortium partner Emanti. This water and environmental engineering company specialises in managing the risk and vulnerability aspects of water, sanitation and health.

“Together with our Dutch partners Hydrologic and FutureWater, we’ve established a synergistic collaboration in which the partners combine their strengths,” says Matthew. “Our aim? To develop an operational service that provides timely and easy access to water availability and demand forecasts for South Africa’s, Eswatini’s and Mozambique’s resource systems.”

Consortium partners’ roles

As a local partner, Emanti’s role is to support the user and system requirement analysis by engaging with stakeholders to understand their needs for the GLOW system. Emanti also disseminates knowledge to end users through user groups, focused sessions and training modalities. FutureWater is responsible for the models behind the forecasts, while HydroLogic specialises in providing decision support services for water managers through HydroNET, an open platform that translates massive amounts of data into usable information for water managers.

Bridging the distance

“Working over long distances can be challenging sometimes,” says Matthew. “With Eswatini being in Southern Africa, and our two partners located in the Netherlands, our collaboration efforts are a work in progress, requiring continuous effort and nurturing.” He explains that they ensure active and regular online engagement among the GLOW consortium. “At the beginning of our collaboration, we made a conscious decision to establish open dialogues. This means that we can always contact our partners with questions or ask for advice if we feel stuck. This intention created a ‘safe space’ to ask for help when necessary and, in a way, bridges the distance. I believe this is one of the key components that is making our collaboration a success!”

Stakeholder engagement

The partners not only create a ‘safe space’ to address questions within their consortium but also during their stakeholder engagement. “Our key stakeholders include various water authorities in Eswatini, Mozambique and South Africa,” says Matthew. “We want to know their opinions, and their pains and gains when using the system, because in the end, they are the ones that will have to use the system to support them in making water management decisions. We truly aim to develop the GLOW system for users, by users. We have done this through a co-creation process with the stakeholders in which they can indicate their needs and desires for the system.”

“We try to build a relationship with the stakeholders, because we’ve experienced that the more our stakeholders trust us, the more comfortable they feel with providing input and sharing their opinions. We also felt that the more we cooperate and work with them and their data, the more their interest has grown. This resulted in them welcoming the development of the system and indicating the importance of the GLOW system within their water resources planning.”

The power of collaboration

“One of our stakeholder sessions in Mozambique got delayed for several months due to the cyclone season. It required the stakeholders to be on the ground to deal with the damage caused. Although it was a big setback, it also showed the power of collaboration,” Matthew notes. He explains: “Our partners had other ongoing projects with our Mozambican stakeholders, which made it easy to stay in constant communication with them. Eventually, we even secured a new stakeholder meeting via another partnership in which our partners are involved, the Blue Deal Mozambique (Dutch Waterboard cooperation programme). The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Waterworks exchanged knowledge in a water-related event in Mozambique and allowed us to participate in one of the workshops to discuss how to start our interaction with the end users in Mozambique. It showed us how valuable it is to build relationships with local and international partners, and to have access to their network as well.”

Satellite-based solutions

Satellite-based solutions for monitoring agriculture and water usage are not groundbreaking, but the new user-friendly dashboard addresses current challenges and will be up and running in just two years. Corné van der Sande details the enhancements this project will eventually bring.

In collaboration with the Tensift Hydraulic Basin Agency and the Regional Office for Agricultural Development of Haouz, the Water Consumption Dashboard can pinpoint excessive agricultural water usage and promote equitable water access. “Managers can use the dashboard to optimise the complex task of integrated water resources management,” explains Van der Sande. “We accurately quantify water consumption, often exceeding the allocation from dams that capture meltwater from the Atlas Mountains.”

Challenges

In Morocco, due to low rainfall (around 300 mm annually), water is also extracted from groundwater, which is often from unauthorised boreholes. “It is by no means the intention of eLEAF to regulate this,” Van der Sande is quick to explain, “but now we can monitor where and when water is extracted, using innovative technology, every five days. The regional water authorities have limited resources, with only two vehicles to patrol a vast area of 26,000 square kilometres, much of which is non-agricultural.”

“Groundwater,” he continues, “is decreasing by several metres each year, indicating serious depletion.” In response to this alarming situation, the government mandated that all water sources in the region must be equipped with metres. Remote sensing data helps authorities register water sources and boreholes, measure water extraction, and model groundwater levels more accurately.

With the application of a simple dashboard, complex time series data on crop biomass development and water usage can be visualised. With a few clicks on a map, even someone with no expertise in the field can see the data for a particular area or a particular agricultural plot, and how much water may have been used. In recent years, drinking water in Marrakech prevailed, and farmers were left without their share of water, because of the severe drought. They could only use rainwater or dig boreholes. And that’s where the dashboard comes in.

Partners

The data used in this project, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, operates on both basin and field scales. Together with regional irrigation offices ORMVAH and ABHT and the local engineering firm RESING, technology is adapted to local needs, providing support, and conducting training. Last year Corné van der Sande from eLEAF and Mohamed Aboufirass from RESING officially signed a Partner Agreement between the two companies, providing high-quality satellite data services to Moroccan clients, promoting water sustainability, increasing food production, and protecting the environment.

Despite being scientifically validated by Moroccan universities, remote sensing products remain underused by the government due to limited capacity and a lack of understanding. The Dutch-Moroccan team provides technology and data while empowering local partners to manage implementation and support. This approach leverages local expertise to navigate cultural nuances and practical applications effectively.

Next steps

Morocco is a significant exporter of citrus fruit, olives, dates, and almonds to the Netherlands. Water shortages may have severe consequences for both countries. eLEAF aims to improve the dashboard prototype to such a level that it offers a deep understanding of what is happening at the earth’s surface and can be used globally to make a fair allocation of water and a climate-resilient agricultural sector possible.

Innovation in progress series

Throughout the Partners for Water 2022–2027 programme, we’ll be following several subsidised projects from start to finish. Over the coming years, these projects will share their transformative journeys with you, offering insights into their innovative solutions, collaborative efforts with local partners, and the challenges they face along the way. You’ll discover not only their successes but also the valuable lessons learned through their struggles and setbacks.

Stay tuned and follow their journey through the Partners for Water website. You can search for: ‘Innovation in Progress’ to find the latest updates. You can also visit our LinkedIn page or subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated.