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Regional water resources planning reforms proposed by the Independent Water Commission (2025) led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, present a major opportunity to better integrate agriculture into wider water resources planning. Water company resources planning is a mature process incorporating climate change and environmental protection with robust options development and clear governance. Various initiatives have started to establish water resources planning for agriculture, including the Environment Agency’s Agricultural Supply Demand Balance Assessment and Local Resource Options, and the regional groups’ work for 2025 regional plans. Water abstractor groups are also forming to coordinate farmer-led actions locally, although governance structures and how they engage with stakeholders is still emerging. However, major challenges remain with different timescales of relevance to the agricultural sector, the variety of sub-sectors and their interests as well as the many individual businesses which need support to take relevant adaptation actions to reduce vulnerability to climate and water-related risks. 

This PhD research will develop a toolkit for agricultural water resources planning, helping to support government reforms to establish integrated water planning by undertaking a pilot development and application with a focus on central England. The research will (i) consider how agricultural water resources planning and governance can be reshaped to deliver sector benefits from post-Cunliffe reforms, (ii) how multi-scalar, cross-sectoral planning approaches can be operationalised for agriculture, (iii) how applied remote sensing and geospatial modelling can inform agricultural water resources planning for flood and drought risk management, and (iv) what tools can support better water resources planning, at what scales are the most relevant and which organisations should be responsible for their application. 

The research will draw on recent work on the River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region which demonstrated the potential for technology to support high and low flow planning, collaborative water management and appraisal of strategies to reduce agricultural flood and drought risks (figure shows recent published booklet). This research will also run have synergies with a related project WRW currently has with Newcastle University to improve water resources planning for the energy sector.  

 
Methodology 

This PhD will adopt a combination methodology involving (i) an evidence synthesis using a systematic review approach (Pullin et al., 2009), (ii) GIS based modelling and mapping of agricultural water demands and environmental water-related risks, (iii) application of geospatial modelling and remote sensing to assess current and future flood and drought risks for agriculture, (iv) agricultural, water company and environmental stakeholder engagement (via interviews and surveys) to review industry and public risk perceptions and attitudes, (v) the evaluation of alternative governance models to support collaborative agricultural water resources management, and (vi) the development of a blueprint for agricultural water resources management and planning. The research will be predominantly desk-based but will include visits and meetings within the Midlands region to gather base data, to conduct stakeholder engagement activities and key informant interviews. 

Partners and collaboration 

Water Resources West (WRW) https://waterresourceswest.co.uk/ is one of five regional groups that provides strategic oversight and co-ordination of water resources across the river catchments of Western England and cross-border river systems with Wales. We support activity aimed at enabling water resource resilience and greater environmental sustainability through multi-sector collaboration to ensure the future sustainability of water resources, considering societal and environmental improvement needs. 

UK Irrigation Association (UKIA) (https://www.ukia.org/) was formed in 1980 and promotes an interest in, and better understanding of all aspects of irrigation, collects, exchanges and disseminate information, and raises standards, increases knowledge and competency in water management. 

Possible timeline: 

Year 1: 

• Student induction and embedding into Cranfield University and Water Resources West. 

• Develop research aim and objectives and outline methodological approach 

• Conduct evidence synthesis of relevant literature (systematic review) 

• Develop methodology for GIS-based modelling and mapping of agricultural water demands and environmental water-related risks 

• Quantify agricultural water demands and environmental water-related risks, by catchment 

• Agricultural, water company and environmental stakeholder engagement 

Year 2: 

• Develop geospatial modelling and remote sensing approach to assess current and future flood and drought risks for agriculture 

• Agricultural, water company and environmental stakeholder engagement (interviews and surveys) to review flood and drought risk perceptions and attitudes 

• Evaluation of alternative governance models to support collaborative agricultural water resources management 

Year 3: 

• Development and application of the integrated approach using a case study in central England 

• Development of a blueprint setting out the planning framework and toolkit for reducing climate and water related vulnerabilities and building more robust agricultural sector water resilience 

• Policy briefs for Defra, NFU, regional planners, the water regulator and water companies  

• Peer-reviewed publications relating to (i) governance implications of post-Cunliffe reforms for agricultural water resources, (ii) multi-scalar and multisector planning approaches for agriculture integrating novel socio-technical methods, biophysical and geospatial (GIS and remote sensing) modelling 

• Thesis drafting and submission