Soil, Water and Innovation: Digital Tools for Climate Adaptation
With recent high temperatures putting renewed pressure on soils, water resources, and local territories, the need for practical and innovative climate adaptation tools is becoming increasingly clear.
Across Europe, regions are facing interconnected challenges, from drought and extreme heat to flooding, soil degradation, and water scarcity. Digital innovation can help territories respond to these pressures by improving monitoring, supporting better water management, and making climate risks easier to understand and act on.
A RESIST thematic webinar organised by SERN explored practical solutions to face desertification, adaptation, and soil erosion, with a focus on models and sustainable water management. The session brought together experts working on digital monitoring, smart irrigation, and immersive learning tools that can support more resilient territories.
Understanding the Ground Before Acting
Riga Technical University, partner of the RESIST project, presented how digital monitoring and modelling can support the design of nature-based solutions. Through examples such as rain gardens, bioretention systems, and soil and groundwater monitoring, the presentation showed how data can help municipalities better understand local conditions before implementing green infrastructure.
These tools can be particularly valuable for regions facing both flooding and drought risks, helping them design solutions that retain water, reduce runoff, and support long-term climate adaptation.
Using Water More Wisely
Weatherbound presented its approach to smart irrigation and advanced weather monitoring. The solution aims to help farmers adapt to changing climate conditions without forcing them to change everything at once.
By combining weather data, plant needs, soil conditions, and irrigation infrastructure, smart irrigation technologies can support more efficient water use and help agricultural communities become more resilient to drought and extreme heat.
Making Drought Risks Easier to Understand
Global Safe Hub presented an innovative virtual reality module focused on drought resilience and awareness. Rather than only explaining drought in theory, the tool allows users to experience the consequences of different decisions in real time, from water allocation and irrigation choices to long-term adaptation measures.
This approach can be especially useful for schools, municipalities, practitioners, and communities working to improve awareness, preparedness, and behavioural change.
Taken together, the solutions presented point to a wider shift in climate adaptation: from responding to environmental pressures once they escalate, to using data, modelling, smart systems, and immersive tools to prepare earlier and act more effectively.
Digital tools are not a replacement for local knowledge or existing practices. They can, however, strengthen decision-making, support adaptation, and make climate resilience more practical, accessible, and actionable.
From modelling nature-based solutions to improving irrigation efficiency and raising awareness through immersive experiences, digital innovation can help regions and communities better prepare for drought, soil degradation, water scarcity, and other climate challenges.
To explore more tested and emerging solutions for climate resilience, visit the RESIST Handbook of Solutions: https://resist-project.eu/innovations/
