SalFar
Adapted from the project website
Project Focus
Climate change is a global challenge that will have a major impact on the North Sea Region, affecting costal areas in a variety of ways. The SalFar project focuses on the degradation of farmland due to salinisation. The main driver for increased salinisation in the North Sea Region is the continuous rise in sea level. Sea level rise leads to leads to increased seepage of seawater, a higher risk of flooding, pushes seawater further inland and in time will lead to ever increasing salinisation of farmland in the North Sea Region as well as in other parts of the world. Without adequate countermeasures this will lead to loss of food production capability and severe damage to costal economies.
How does SalFar deal with this challenge?
The project aims to promote resource efficiency by (re)using degraded farmland and reducing fresh water consumption. 10 open field labs have been set up in each participating region to demonstrate innovative methods of farming on saline soil with natural adaptation processes in plants and crops. "Thinking green” in this way means a real change of perspective in farming and food producing, a change of behaviour of the consumers of food, and, for authorities, re-thinking water management and changing policies on environment and agriculture in coastal areas.
The project has developed innovative methods of coastal agriculture across the North Sea Region by setting up field labs in each partnering country. In the field labs a multidisciplinary team consisting of climate experts, researchers, educators, farmers, entrepreneurs and policy makers, have done scientific research on the salt tolerance of various crops, demonstrating alternative methods of farming under saline conditions and creating new business opportunities for farmers, food producers, and entrepreneurs.
Duration
2017 -2022
Inspiration guide on Saline Farming
Book “Future of Sustainable Agriculture in Saline Environments”
Measuring water and soil salinity
SalFar Toolkit for Quality Documentation