Issues
Water is an essential element for the functioning of the planet and all forms of life. While it covers 3/4 of the Earth’s surface, only 2.8% of terrestrial water is freshwater.
In the context of climate change leading to an increase in extreme weather events – droughts, periods of water stress where water needs exceed the available quantity – freshwater ecosystems must be at the center of attention. Ensuring equitable access to this strained resource for populations is a major challenge of the 21st century.
To achieve this, it is necessary to both protect and restore freshwater ecosystems and evolve the agricultural system towards water sobriety and resilience.
Actions
Mirova Foundation has committed to supporting an innovative project led by WWF France, the French section of the World Wide Fund for Nature : the Water sobriety and resilience in agriculture project.
In several French regions, the increasing scarcity of freshwater resources is a source of tension between farmers, public authorities and environmentalists. The aim of the project is to explore the political and technical feasibility of compromise solutions, and to identify areas and players capable of working together. The aim is to create, by 2025, a financing instrument combining public and private funds to support, at a pilot site, the development of water-efficient agriculture that respects aquatic environments.
As part of this partnership, two pilot projects have been launched in Drôme – Prime Installation and Experimental Rights – and in Loire. A territorial demonstrator has also been established to improve the quantitative management of water, promote sobriety and resilience in the territory through the massification of agroecological practices and natural solutions.
The goal is to create, by 2025, a financing instrument combining public and private funds to support, at a pilot site, the development of water-efficient agriculture that respects aquatic environments.
In this perspective, our support has helped to advance the freshwater advocacy efforts of WWF France and the publication of reports on these issues, such as the report on water footprint. This report invites a reconsideration of food consumption and agricultural practices to better preserve water resources: https://www.wwf.fr/projets/inciter-a-la-sobriete-des-usages
Key figures
Our support
- Multi-year partnership over three years
- Decisive financial support: experimentation project
- Skills sponsorship with a Mirova collaborator from the ESG Research team, an expert in water-related projects
- Outreach and raising awareness