The second round of the Water Management Grant, which opened in April, offers support of between £35,000 and £500,000 to help growers in England, including of ornamentals, with the cost of constructing a reservoir or investing in new irrigation equipment. The grants can cover up to a maximum rate of 40% of the eligible costs of a project.
Eligible irrigation equipment includes booms, capillary bed, ebb and flow, mist, sprinklers and trickle.
The government said it was also preparing to launch a call for evidence on the planning barriers to ‘small’ reservoirs.
It’s aiming to increase the amount of water stored by the agriculture and horticulture sectors by 66% by 2050.