Defra has announced that applications for Water Management grants are now open.
In April, Defra published the manual for the Water Management grant [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-management-grant-round-2]. The guidance in the manual explains what the Water Management grant is for, who is eligible and the application process.
The new Water Management grant is part of the Farming Investment Fund, and is open to horticultural and arable businesses growing, or intending to grow, irrigated food crops, ornamentals, or forestry nurseries.
In this second round, the minimum grant is £35,000, with a maximum grant available of £500,000 per applicant per funding round.
The grant is designed to help improve farm productivity through more efficient use of water for irrigation, by adopting best practice irrigation application equipment and to secure water supplies through construction of on-farm reservoirs.