The European Irrigation Association (EIA) held its virtual Spring Irrigation Forum on Friday, 25th April 2025, bringing together irrigation professionals from across Europe and beyond to discuss sustainable water management and innovative agricultural solutions. EIA President Moshi Berenstein opened the forum by highlighting the association’s growing membership, which now stands at 69 organizations, reflecting the increasing importance of sustainable irrigation practices in addressing global water challenges.
New Members Introduced:
Cordulus: A Danish weather station manufacturer using AI and hyper-local data to deliver forecasts 48% more accurate than traditional methods. With 4,000+ stations across 22 countries, it’s backed by Danish Agro, a leading Scandinavian agricultural group.
Maidina: A Lithuanian irrigation specialist designing and supplying systems for agriculture and landscaping. With decades of expertise, they offer end-to-end solutions—from consultation and training to system assembly—supported by workshops and an informative online store.
The forum featured two main presentations focusing on water stewardship and agricultural innovation :
The first presentation was about “Alliance Stewardship as a Whole Systemic Approach for Major Water Users” by Ben Davis from A4WS.
Ben Davis, representing the Alliance for Water Stewardship, delivered an insightful presentation on integrated water management approaches. He explained how water challenges must be addressed at the catchment level through collaborative efforts between various stakeholders. Davis emphasized that effective water stewardship combines social equity, environmental sustainability and economic benefits, going beyond traditional compliance-focused water management. He illustrated these concepts with the Huelva case study, demonstrating how coordinated action can improve water security for multiple users in a region.
The second presentation addressed “Phytosterols Used for Supporting Plant Resistance to Water Stress” by Aymeric Molin from Elicit Plant.
Aymeric Molin presented Elicit Plant’s innovative EliTerra® technology, which uses phytosterols to enhance crop resilience against water stress. He detailed how climate change is increasing drought frequency and intensity, threatening global food production. Molin explained the science behind phytosterols’ ability to improve plants’ water-use efficiency by regulating stomatal closure and promoting root growth. The presentation included field data showing significant improvements in water conservation and crop yields for key food crops like wheat and maize.
The forum also provided updates on EIA’s strategic initiatives for 2025, including the launch of the new Strategic Road Map and upcoming events such as the Irrigation Day in Aix-en-Provence, France on 9th July 2025. Participants learned about Cordulus’ precision agriculture solutions, which provide hyper-local weather data to optimize irrigation across 22 countries.
The event concluded with an interactive Q&A session where attendees engaged with speakers on topics ranging from technology scalability to policy frameworks for sustainable irrigation. The discussions highlighted the irrigation sector’s crucial role in addressing climate challenges while ensuring food security.
For those who missed the event, the recording and presentation materials are available on the EIA website. The association announced its next major collaboration, a session on pumping efficiency scheduled for October 2025 in partnership with the Water Pumping Institute.
To watch the recording of the forum click and upload the Powerpoint Presentation :
