Round. Simple. Solution.

According to climate scientists, Hungary’s climate is on the course of becoming drier and more unpredictable as a result of climate change. Not only will there be less rainfall, but precipitation patterns are expected to become increasingly unpredictable in both space and time. One year the country might be affected by continuous drought, while the next year could be characterised by dry days alternating with torrential downpours, causing flash floods and excess surface waters. This means that irrigation is increasingly becoming the only way to ensure a steady supply of water to crops, for which careful and efficient water management is a prerequisite in extreme weather conditions.

Pig and cattle farms have a characteristic odour, much of which is “caused” by the slurry storage facilities, which, in most places, are open basins. With a few exceptions, there are hardly any pig and cattle farms in Hungary (and elsewhere in Europe) where slurry storage is not organised in this way.

It is barely an exaggeration to claim that global warming is now causing constant flash floods and droughts, putting both crops and farmers under severe stress. It seems that one of the few viable paths forward for the agricultural industry today involves collecting and storing the often sudden and large amounts of rainfall, then using it later for irrigation. However, many difficulties are encountered even in the process of collecting and draining the water. Even if these are overcome, the water must be stored for weeks or months, continuing to protect it from contamination, algae growth and siltation. Meanwhile, much of what was originally collected will evaporate in the sweltering heat. In large and shallow reservoirs such as untreated inland waters, the entire volume may dry out, with essentially nothing remaining of the collected water.