Increasing resilience to water-related risk in the UK fresh fruit & vegetable system.

向英国消费者供应新鲜水果和蔬菜依赖于安全的淡水供应，无论是在英国还是在我们进口新鲜农产品的国家都是如此。然而，我们在英国最缺水的地区种植这些作物，并从缺水国家(如以色列、西班牙、南非和埃及)进口大量作物。这意味着新鲜水果和蔬菜系统面临一系列与水有关的风险，包括干旱和缺水，但也有水质差、水法规变化以及零售商声誉可能受到影响的风险，如果被视为“加剧干旱”的话。与此同时，气候正在变化；对水的其他需求(包括需要将水留在环境中以支持生态系统)正在增加；我们都被鼓励食用更多新鲜水果和蔬菜，作为健康饮食的一部分。通过使用英格兰南部、东部和南非的案例研究，该项目将探索系统如何以及在哪里暴露在与水有关的风险中(无论是现在还是未来)。它将寻求开发方法，使个人和组织(包括种植者、零售商、消费者和政策制定者)能够改变他们的工作方法，以减少这些风险对供应安全的影响，而不会对系统或环境中的其他人造成不必要的影响。也就是说，使新鲜水果和蔬菜系统对与水有关的风险更具“弹性”。该项目团队涉及植物科学、农业、环境科学、灌溉技术、应用数学、社会学和水政治等领域的专家，以确保对这一问题有广泛的看法。

The supply of fresh fruit and vegetables to the UK consumer is dependent on a secure supply of freshwater, both in the UK and in countries from which we import fresh produce. However, we grow these crops in the most water-scarce parts of the UK and import large volumes from water-scarce countries (such as Israel, Spain, South Africa and Egypt). This means that the fresh fruit and vegetable system is exposed to a range of "water-related risks", including drought and water scarcity, but also poor water quality, changing water regulations and risk to the reputation of retailers if seen to be "contributing to drought". Meanwhile, climate is changing; other demands for water (including the need to leave water in the environment to support the ecosystem) are increasing; and we are all being encouraged to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy diet.By using case-studies in south and eastern England and South Africa, this project will explore how and where the system is exposed to water-related risk (both now and in the future). It will seek to develop ways in which people and organisations (including growers, retailers, consumers and policy makers) can change their methods of working to reduce the impact of these risks on the security of supply, without causing unwanted impacts on others in the system or the environment. That is, making the fresh fruit and vegetable system more "resilient" to water related risk. The project team involves experts in plant science, agriculture, environmental science, irrigation technologies, applied mathematics, sociology and water politics to ensure a broad view of the issue.