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Academic departments

Land & Water Management

The Land and Water Management (LWM) department aims to add value to managed land-water systems. It focuses on monitoring, assessing, understanding, and anticipating the impact of intervention and change to land-water systems. Department researchers use different methods, models and approaches to link scientific insights from different disciplines to support the transdisciplinary co-creation of knowledge. They work together with decision-makers, water users, other stakeholders, and scientists in diverse fields to co-create new solutions and scientific knowledge as a basis for positive societal impact in the face of global water challenges.

Aims and ambitions

Water is a shared resource, affected directly and indirectly by different users and uses. Water is also a highly dynamic resource, subject to seasonal and long-term fluctuations in availability – while also user needs are different for different times and locations. And whereas water flows, its availability and its use are intricately linked to land, land uses, landscapes and land management rights and practices. Therefore, the management of land and water systems are linked, and the researchers in the Land and Water Management Department use integrated approaches to capture the dynamics and management of land and water resource systems.

Research in the Department fosters an understanding of how land and water resources systems are linked with wider societal, environmental, and policy systems, so that their management can contribute to sustainable development and management of resources.

This starts with tools and methods that help to track and assess water use and water productivity, include water accounting and productivity models fed by remote sensing data. It also requires dynamic models of interlinked water-food-energy systems that helps understand the dynamic interactions across sectors. Furthermore, it requires methods and models that can inform policy and management decisions, such as strategic and environmental impact assessment methods and actor and institutional models to design, assess and evaluate management practices. Many department projects aim to underpin sound policy choices.

Networks

The department engages in several committees, networks and organizations. This includes directly liaising with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) and the World Meteorological Organization’s Hydrology and Water Resources Programme (HWRP). LWM hosts the coordination of the Dutch committee that formulates the national contribution to the IHP and HWRP programmes. It is a partner to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s WaPOR project, implementing quality assessments, capacity building and developing applications using the WaPOR database. It also actively supports various international (capacity) building networks for water research and development, such as WaterNet and the Nile Basin Capacity Building Network.

The Department is a proponent of open science and gives preference to open access software and databases and shares their open-source codes. It also strives to support open access publications.

Research themes

To foster the sustainable and inclusive use of land and water resources, the department works on six themes, two of which are cross-cutting.

  • Agricultural systems development and management

    Agriculture and water are closely related. Whether in lowland delta regions, or in semi-arid to arid regions, adequate water management is key to agriculture and development. In semi-arid to arid regions in Africa, researchers models for farmer-led irrigation as well as alternative ways in which water from alluvial aquifers (or sand rivers) can best be accessed and used for productive purposes and thus promote socio-economic development. Solutions for climate smart agriculture are developed for the MENA region, and various trainings and courses on smart irrigation systems design, management and modernization are offered. Research projects under this theme include NABWIG, A4Labs and Climate Smart Agriculture.

  • Quantitative Analysis for Water Resources Management

    Much of our international research under this theme aims to support the strengthening of institutions. Water accounting and productivity research provides the understanding needed for better policies and decision making. Remote sensing is used to support agriculture and water resources management, for example in relation to highly utilized basins, environmental flows and irrigation system applications. Researchers in this theme implement both water accounting and water productivity assessments using WaPOR or other remote sensing data products (for those areas not covered by WaPOR). This is done with partners in different countries and with international partners FAO, IWMI and the World Bank. Researchers in this theme lead the IHE component in the WaPOR Phase 2 project, WaterPIP, and Water Accounting +.

  • Integrated systems and nexus modelling

    This theme connects different inputs and dimensions into integrated systems models and assessments. It includes water-energy-food nexus modelling and integrated modelling of socio-hydrological systems, both of which are critical to decision-making. Research under this theme includes fundamental studies aiming to improve understanding of water-energy-food system dynamics across scales through to applied case-study research to ground theory to real-world situations and problems. Increasingly, this theme integrates research from other disciplines including machine learning, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement to further advance scientific understanding and to make research outcomes more relevant for practical implementation towards more efficient integrated resources management. Researchers in this theme have contributed to a number of recent and ongoing research projects, including EuroFlow, H2020 SIM4NEXUS, H2020 NEXOGENESIS, Horizon Europe ONEPLanET, and DUPC2 WEF-Tools.

  • Actors and institutions for water and environment

    Water and environmental management require sound public policy frameworks and institutions that help to ensure that the interests of different groups in society are safeguarded, now and in the future. This involves multiple actors as well as formal and informal institutions. Research in this theme develops and applies methods that support better policy processes, decision-making and participation in land and water management. It highlights the essential connection between science and policy and uses multi-actor policy analysis to assess, evaluate and plan adaptive policy-making. In addition, research in this theme uses participatory methods for water management that incorporates different values and perspectives. Researchers in this theme contributed to recent and ongoing research projects and methods such as Strategic Delta Planning, I-CISK, the MOTA Framework, and Transformation-Pathways Planning.

  • Cross-cutting themes

    Integrated and participatory modelling for conflict resolution: Through integrated and participatory modelling with stakeholders in hotspots as a means towards conflict resolution, researchers and stakeholders together identify trade-offs and synergies between water, food, energy and the environment.

    Green and inclusive use of water land and water systems: By combining new technologies with nature-based solutions, this research supports economic development and inclusive ecosystem approaches in managed land-water systems.

Land and water management related short and online courses

LWM Department staff teach in the IHE Delft MSc programme on Water and Sustainable Development, develop and deliver various short courses, tailor-made trainings and capacity development interventions, and are engaged in different online courses and learning platforms.

Featured

New project aims to help improve policies related to water, energy, food and ecosystems

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are among tools to be used to assess the water-energy-food-ecosystem (WEFE) nexus in a new project coordinated by IHE Delft. The NEXOGENESIS project, financed by the European Commission, aims to support the development of policies that manages resources effectively.
Food market in the Limpopo Basin

Land and water management related open course ware

People in this department