Two Lincolnshire farmers have reported very different outcomes from this year's harvest, with water access emerging as the decisive factor.
James Brown, who operates an organic farm near Gainsborough, reported a 15% increase in broccoli and cabbage yields. His farm is supported by a private reservoir, built in 2012, that spans 10 acres (40,000 m²) and stores nearly 140 million liters (30 million gallons) of water. The system, costing approximately US$1.9 million (£1.5 million) and powered by floating solar panels, provided irrigation during what Anglian Water described as the driest summer since 1976.
"Without this water, our vegetables simply would not have grown," said Brown. The reservoir is filled with floodwater from local rivers during winter. He added that current rules prevent him from selling water to other users, stating: "If we were allowed to sell water to other users, farmers would be willing to make more investments like this, in order to help that wider shortage."
The Environment Agency has said it encourages farmers to explore options to improve resilience. The Association of Drainage Boards has also called for changes, with chairman Robert Caudwell noting: "This is holding us back. We are in discussion with ministers about this."
Caudwell's farm near Boston faced the opposite outcome. He lost a field of 160,000 cauliflowers to drought, costing tens of thousands of pounds, with sheep now grazing on the remnants. "It's the drought that has caused this problem, rather than anything else," he said.
He warned of broader risks if no action is taken, including possible restrictions on public water supplies beyond hosepipe bans. "We are not short of water; we just need to manage it better," he said.
Caudwell compared the UK's approach with southern Europe, where growers in Italy, Spain, and Portugal treat flood water as a resource to be stored for future dry periods. "They still manage to grow because they value water as a resource. That's the big difference," he noted.
The contrasting experiences underline the role of water storage and management in crop survival and productivity under dry conditions.
Source: BBC
