MSc students at Wageningen University (WUR) have the opportunity in their master programmes to work as consultants on real-world problems. This year, four students from different master’s programmes conducted research and developed new solutions for FutureWater’s work in the BUCRA project in Egypt.

BUCRA is an RvO-sponsored project in which FutureWater, the Netherlands African Business Council, Witteveen+Bos, Delphy, SkillEd, Sanable, Mozare3 and Buzoor collaborate to find new pathways for climate-smart agriculture in the upper Nile Delta. As part of the project, FutureWater is further developing its crop advisory tool Croptimal.

Croptimal provides crop suitability advice based on remote-sensing-derived weather and soil data. The tool can serve both smallholder farmers with field-specific crop advice and policymakers with region-wide agricultural planning. Two major challenges for the development of Croptimal are the integration of reliable seasonal weather forecasts and the integration of long-term climate projections.

With increasingly erratic weather patterns, farmers can rely less and less on their historical experience to select the right crop for the next season. Seasonal forecasts help farmers select crops that are best suited to the conditions of the upcoming season within a changing climate. However, seasonal forecast products are not readily available and often need to be calibrated to specific regions. The WUR students researched the best available seasonal forecast products, then bias-corrected the most suitable dataset based on historical observations for Egypt, and integrated the whole workflow within the Croptimal tool. The students’ research and integration of seasonal forecasts can help farmers in the Nile Delta adapt their crop selection to uncommonly hot or dry seasons, which becoming more and comming unfortunately.

The second part of the project involved integrating multi-decadal climate projections into Croptimal, transforming the tool into a policy advisory platform. The aim was to create region-wide crop suitability maps for different climate projections. The students first researched the best available dataset for this project. Next, they designed a web-map application that can visualise crop suitability under different climate scenarios. For the design they did not just consider technical feasibility, but drew on insights from communication science and design philosophy to develop an application that is easy to use and conveys the most important insights convincingly to non-technical stakeholders. The web-map will help policymakers better understand the effects of climate change on food production and visualise the regional and temporal trends for these effects.

The students not only contributed important and useful work to the BUCRA project, but their ingenuity and creativity also helped FutureWater explore new pathways for its Croptimal tool. Their contribution will form a lasting part of BUCRA’s work in helping Nile Delta farmers adapt to an increasingly changing climate.

Nepal offers an ideal testing ground due to strong government support for climate-smart agriculture, a large population of vulnerable smallholders, and active engagement from organisations like Climate Resilience Research Centre (CRRC) and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Results from this feasibility will support national policy goals and can be scaled to similar mountain regions across South Asia.

This project focuses on Syangja District, Gandaki Province, which faces growing water scarcity and unpredictable rainfall, especially on hillside farms reliant on spring-fed irrigation and rain-fed agriculture. These conditions make traditional irrigation unworkable and create a need for low-pressure, affordable, and locally adaptable solutions. The Smart Sprayer combines practical hardware with a digital advisory tool to optimise limited water use — a frugal innovation tailored for smallholder needs.

The project entails the feasibility of an integrated, low-cost “Smart Sprayer” irrigation system based on SOSIA but tailored for hillside farming that delivers practical WhatsApp/SMS irrigation advice. The main innovation is the Smart Sprayer, a gravity-fed, low-pressure micro-pivot irrigation device paired with a tailored Smart Irrigation Tool. The digital platform delivers daily, data-driven irrigation advice to farmers’ phones. Together, these offer a scalable and cost-effective package for precise and efficient water use on remote hillside farms.

The main objective is to improve water security and agricultural productivity for mid-hill smallholders during the dry season in Nepal. More specifically, to demonstrate the technical, economic and social feasibility of a low-pressure irrigation solution in combination with irrigation advisory based on remote sensing data and weather forecasts. This includes market research and development of business cases for both farmers and local suppliers.

 

SOSIA combines of crop, field and irrigation characteristics with weather station and satellite data to provide its irrigation advisory service.

The TU Delft and TAHMO (Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory) have launched a project with the Netherlands Embassy in Ghana to improve local weather data, help Ghanaian farmers get actionable information from it and with it foster a climate-smart horticultural sector in Ghana. At FutureWater, we support the project by researching optimal planting dates for horticultural crops that are commonly grown in Ghana, such as tomato, eggplants, and onions. The end goal is to supply farmers and extension officers with location-specific information on optimal planting dates for different horticultural crops.

Our methodology is inspired by earlier work led by TU Delft.  The FAO AquaCrop model is used simulate crop growth and yields under different possible planting dates based on data of the local climate and local soil conditions, considering the spatial variability across the country. Different planting strategies are analyzed, to assess the effectiveness of both traditional and weather-data informed planting strategies. FutureWater uses the open-source Python version of AquaCrop, developed by Manchester University.

This project will not just explore new ground on sowing windows in Ghana, but it will also provide actionable information for Ghanaian farmers and help them better prepare for an already changing climate.

 

FutureWater and its RVO Impact Cluster partners recently visited Egypt for the Building Unity for Climate Resilient Agriculture (BUCRA) project. The team assessed the demonstration farm in Qahbunah, a community in the northern Nile Delta. This farm will function as a pilot for innovative agricultural practices, showing the potential for more efficient and climate resilient agriculture.

During the visit, the team:

  • Examined current water and agricultural systems;
  • Met with local farmers to discuss the challenges they face;
  • Explored solutions to enhance rural livelihoods and foster climate resilient agriculture.

FutureWater will develop two digital tools that provide farmers with real-time irrigation (SOSIA) and crop planting advice (Croptimal). By leveraging the power of remote sensing and low-cost open-access datasets, smallholder farmers can get access to advice typically reserved for large commercial farms. Farmers can use these tools to improve yields, reduce water usage, and adapt to a changing climate.

The project brings together expertise from both Egyptian and Dutch partners: Witteveen+Bos, Delphy, SkillEd, Sanable Group, Land Water Food Consult, Mozare3, Buzoor, and NABC. The combination of international and local expertise makes the project well-positioned to work towards more climate-resilient agriculture in the region.

The team also met with representatives from local universities, ministries, and key organizations such as GIZ, and WFP to explore collaborations and learn from existing initiatives in the region. These discussions emphasized the need for coordinated action to address the Middle East’s environmental challenges. Climate change, water scarcity, and salinization threaten food production, while 55% of Upper Egypt’s population lives below the poverty line. The BUCRA project aims to address these dual challenges by developing resilient agricultural systems that both improve rural household incomes and enhance climate adaptation capabilities.

Field visit by the BUCRA team
The BUCRA team interviewing local farmers.
The BUCRA team interviewing local farmers.

The BUCRA (Building Unity for Climate Resilient Agriculture) project focuses on enhancing agricultural resilience in Qahbunah, a farming community in Egypt’s Nile Delta. Facing challenges like water scarcity, climate change, and land fragmentation, local farmers require innovative approaches to sustain their livelihoods.

At the heart of BUCRA are two cutting-edge tools developed by FutureWater: Croptimal and SOSIA, which combine advanced technology with local insights to transform traditional farming practices.

Croptimal is a climate suitability analysis tool that leverages climate projections, geospatial data, and agricultural insights to assess the suitability of various crops under current and future climate scenarios. By identifying areas and crops that are most resilient to climate stressors like heat, salinity, and water scarcity, Croptimal empowers farmers with data-driven recommendations to optimize their crop choices and planting strategies. This tool provides highly detailed maps and actionable advice, enabling farmers to adapt their practices to the challenges of climate change while enhancing productivity.

SOSIA (Satellite-based Open-source Irrigation Advisory) is an irrigation management tool designed to improve water use efficiency. It uses open-source satellite data, real-time weather information, and local soil conditions to provide precise daily irrigation advice. Farmers receive recommendations on how long to irrigate their crops each day via WhatsApp, making the service both accessible and cost-effective. This innovative approach not only reduces water usage but also improves crop yields and energy efficiency, addressing the increasing pressures on water resources in the Nile Delta.

In addition to these tools, BUCRA includes demonstration plots showcasing climate-smart techniques such as efficient irrigation, soil management, and crop rotation. Farmers will also participate in a blended learning program that combines field-based training with easy-to-use digital applications to improve their technical skills and knowledge.
BUCRA emphasizes empowering youth and women in agriculture, strengthening market linkages, and promoting sustainable land-use practices. By aligning Dutch expertise with local needs, the project aims to boost productivity, stabilize incomes, and build a sustainable agricultural future in Qahbunah.

The long-term vision is to inspire broader adoption of these tools and practices, ensuring food and water security in the region while addressing the challenges posed by climate change.