Hoeksche Waard is an island located in the south of the Netherlands. This rural area lies below sea level, and controlling water on agricultural fields is a major issue, especially in the case of heavy rainfall. An Operational Group was set up to test and optimise a sub-soil system to control soil moisture levels from underground.

Climate change is not only causing new weather trends, but also extreme weather events. In both the short and the long term, weather unpredictability and highly variable weather patterns are challenging farm management as well as food productivity and stability. The EU Adaptation strategy which is part of the European Green Deal, sets out how the European Union can adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. This ties in to the CAP objective ‘climate change action’ which is taken up through CAP funding including Operational Groups.

Soil compaction and its consequences is a significant soil threat in the whole of the Netherlands. It strongly influences the soil moisture balance and leads to a greater sensitivity to precipitation surplus and deficit, which is exacerbated by climate change. Novifarm is a cooperation of 6 family farms growing mainly arable crops in Hoeksche Waard. As part of a wider initiative ‘Putting Hoeksche Waard on the map’, in 2016 Novifarm started a project called HW20 to face these ever-changing climatic conditions, and the Operational Group is part of this project.