An online seminar assembled by the National Agricultural Advisory Service together with the University of Shumen "E. K. Preslavski”, on the topic: “Efficient use of water resources Legal possibilities for irrigation. Reimbursement of water costs” was held in August 2020. More than 40 farmers, agricultural advisory specialists and other stakeholders participated. In the first part of the online seminar the lecturer was Dimitar Dimitrov - a lecturer at the University of Shumen "EK Preslavski", in whose presentation the following topics were covered:
- Agriculture as a major consumer of fresh water and its direct dependence on the state of water resources.
- Impact of climate change on irrigated agriculture.
- Legal framework for water us.
- Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2030.
During the presentation D. Dimitrov presented many interesting facts about the possibilities for maximum efficiency in the consumption of water resources by farmers; types of irrigation technologies depending on the soil and reclamation conditions of the terrain. He paid special attention to the costs - resource and financial in the application of gravity watering, sprinkling and drip irrigation, emphasizing their advantages and disadvantages. The lecturer pointed out the methods by which the most efficient use of water could be achieved, namely via applying agricultural practices for conservation and traditional treatment to preserve soil moisture, as well as the benefits of importing different types of compost. The next lecturer in the online seminar was Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stefan Shilev - a lecturer at the Agricultural University of Plovdiv, who introduced the participants to the project "Sustainable water treatment and opportunities for reuse in agriculture in Europe" (SUWANU EUROPE), implemented by the Horizon 2020 program.
Dr. Shilev shared the main highlights of the project, namely: how urban regenerated water can be used to irrigate agricultural land. There were questions asked and answers and interesting facts provided on: how to promote the effective exchange of knowledge, experience and skills in water reuse (from the SUWANU project);more on the methods for determining the ecological status of water and how safe irrigation with recycled water is in livestock farms; whether the direct use of water from rivers and other reservoirs is allowed - state property for agricultural purposes.
A recording of the seminar is available on the YouTube channel of NAAS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Jo_j8hwZA
