80 persons from nine countries around the Baltic Sea have discussed how water management in the agricultural landscapes of the Baltic Sea Region can be improved. This happened in Riga on March 26-27 as part of the first Baltic Regional Conference organized by the WATERDRIVE project and financed by the Baltic Sea Region Program 2018-2021.

What changes are needed to improve water management in the agricultural landscapes of the Baltic Sea Region was the main question? Below are some of the first-step messages to be further explored during project implementation.

Main messages:

1. Stimulate local solutions building on cross-sector cooperation. Cooperation that brings local authorities, interest organizations and the farming community together in joint planning and management of water resources.

2. Develop the technologies and the collaborative platforms that have the capacities to increase and change water availability in the landscape during periods of drought and flooding.

3. Optimize location of measures in the landscape taking advantage of modern digital solutions and new decision support tools. Tools that will assist local water management stakeholders and support cross-sector decision making.

4. Shape the policies and financial support schemes that delivers multiple societal- and ecosystem benefits. Systems that are cost-effective and stimulate collaborative management of water resources and steers the financial resources to the most cost-efficient locations.

5. Learn from each other across national borders but still adapting programs and solutions to the national contexts and organizations. The rural contexts and options are very different in the Baltic Sea Region.