ir. JA (Arjan) Budding

I am head of the Sustainable Water Management Programme within the Environmental Sciences Group at Wageningen University & Research.

Sustainable use of water, energy, food and our ecosystems is essential for human well-being. Global projections indicate that demand for freshwater, food and energy will increase significantly over the next decades under the pressure of population growth and mobility, economic development, international trade, urbanization, diversifying diets, cultural and technological changes, and climate change (IPCC, 2014, SDG, 2016). Unless there are significant changes to the ways that we produce and consume, agricultural production will have to increase by about 70% by 2050 and about 50% more primary energy has to be made available by 2035. Such increases would have far-reaching implications for water and land resources. Climate change will aggravate pressure on these resources and so add to the vulnerability of people and ecosystems, particularly in water scarce and marginal regions. The SWM programme is integral part of the Wageningen Water Strategy.

Within the programme our objective is to increase the value of water by researching and managing implementation in adaptation to water shortage, mitigate flooding and to develop a clean, productive and healthy environment.