Entrepreneurship and water, the winning combination for our future
One of humanityâs most pressing problems is the lack of access to drinking water, and finding a solution to the worsening global water crisis is the United Nationsâ Sustainable Development Goal 6. Drop by drop, there are several entrepreneurial solutions that are harnessing innovation and joining efforts to help ensure the right to water.
Guaranteeing access to safe drinking water and sanitation is one of the commitments the international community has made as part of the 2030 Agenda, but current efforts are falling far short of what is needed to reach this goal on time. According to the United Nations, 1,6 billion people will lack access to safe water by 2030 if the current pace continues. International efforts need to be quadrupled to meet SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) 6, in a race against time where innovation can play a decisive role.
The recent UN Water Conference marks the halfway point through the International Decade for Actionâs âWater for Sustainable Developmentâ, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018. It has called for international, scientific and cross-sectoral cooperation to turn the commitment into tangible, impactful initiatives. The critical players in this game to secure the future of our planet? Entrepreneurs, investment and public-private partnerships.
The water crisis and the need for entrepreneurship
The latest figures, which come from 2020, reveal that 26% of the world’s population currently lacks access to safe, clean water. According to the World Resources Instituteâs Water Risk Atlas, very few countries are out of danger, either because of a lack of access to water or because of poor management and governance.
Although global water use is projected to grow by 1% every year, warns UNESCO, water scarcity is fast becoming a major concern not only in countries where it was already endemic, but also in regions where water is currently plentiful, such as a large percentage of Latin America.
âThe climate crisis means that water availability is quite uncertain, because droughts are now more frequent and rainy periods are longerâ, says Tatiana Malvasio, COO and co-founder of efficient irrigation management platform Kilimo. âThis leads to problems with the soil, economic problems due to crop losses, food availability, higher prices, and moreâ.
Water scarcity affects the most vulnerable groups and regions unequally: only 30% of low-income households have access to safe water, as opposed to 98% of high-income households. In Latin America and the Caribbean, 75% of the population has access to safe water, compared to only 30% in sub-Saharan Africa, while in Europe and North America, 96% of the population has access to safe water. The water crisis also has a gender component: women and girls are responsible for water collection in 80% of households without easy access to water, and also face other problems related to access to sanitation and glass ceilings in the water industry.
The agricultural sector in the crosshairs
Conserving water resources is a vital component in the fight against climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently published a report called ‘AR6 Synthesis: Climate Change 2023’, which summarises five years of reports on the climate crisis and pinpoints better on-farm water management and storage and irrigation as effective ways to reduce the risks.
To this end, projects that offer more efficient methods for using and reusing water are becoming fundamental allies in the fight against climate change. The agrotech category includes startups like the Spanish BrioAgro, which is developing an algorithm for intelligent irrigation; and the British Trinity AgTech, which offers software with a host of features, one of which makes it possible to calculate the impact that agricultural practices have on water pollution. Both have conducted pilot tests with several BBVA departments in a process facilitated by BBVA Open Innovation.
As for Kilimo, it was founded in Argentina and is already operating in five other countries in the Americas. Its platform lets users get irrigation recommendations based on meteorological and satellite data, helping them optimise water and energy use. âThe possibility of accessing data today is a great help for farmers, because it allows them to take action on the uncontrollable in natureâ, says Malvasio.
Kilimo also collaborates with companies like Google and Microsoft to develop water compensation projects, which help companies achieve their âwater neutralityâ goals through irrigation savings from farmers who use Kilimo’s solution, and who receive economic compensation in return. âItâs an initiative that allows us to generate incentives for farmers, which encourage them to incorporate technology into their production; and to connect all society stakeholders to develop solutionsâ, explains Malvasio.
Partnerships, circularity and ESG criteria
Numerous initiatives for water conservation, saving and accessibility are thriving thanks to government and private company involvement. For example, the European Union promotes a significant number of R&D projects, such as the Prima initiative, the Horizon Europe project and EIT Food. BIOAZUL, an engineering and technology consulting company, participates in all of them. âWe work on different projects related to the use of reclaimed water for agriculture. Here we not only close the water cycle, but also cycles of nutrients that are conserved in order to cut down on the use of fertilisersâ, says Antonia Lorenzo, founding partner and head of R&D. âThrough participation in all these projects and in several initiatives at the European and global level, we have understood how water is interconnected with ecosystems, with industry, with gender… It is very important to understand that what you do with water can have negative or positive consequences on the environment at multiple levelsâ.
Meanwhile, Spanish company AUARA helps to promote Access to water by selling natural mineral water bottled in recycled plastic containers. âAUARA was founded as a social enterprise geared towards bringing water to where itâs needed. To this end, we allocate 100% of our profits to implementing projects (wells, sanitation, reservoirs) in disadvantaged communitiesâ, says company CEO Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros. The company has already provided nearly 100,000 people in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and Central America with access to drinking water through the installation and construction of 130 water facilities.
âAll companies can do their part to find solutions to the water crisis, whether it is at the heart of their business or whether they have to manage and reduce their own useâ, says Espinosa de los Monteros. The increasingly sustainable management of the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem, he notes, âwith green mobility plans, recycling systems, volunteer programmes and net zero policies is an enormous example and awareness-raising valueâ.
Awareness and collaboration, the cornerstones of water entrepreneurship
Key sectors in the water arena, such as agriculture, are taking significant steps to optimise their use of resources by harnessing the power of innovation. âTrust is keyâ, underscores Kilimoâs Tatiana Malvasio. âCompanies have a huge responsibility to make technology more accessibleâ. Making changes involves a certain risk, says Antonia Lorenzo of BIOAZUL. âWe have to build proof that this isnât going to negatively affect the business to support the transition to more regenerative agricultureâ.
Synergies are the other great winner in the race to solve the water crisis. âInnovation requires the involvement of all stakeholders involvedâgovernments, companies, the third sector and citizensâto meet the increasingly pressing challenges of sustainable developmentâ, says AUARAâs Antonio Espinosa de los Monteros. Lorenzo also points out the potential of international cooperation. âIt helps you to open your mind and develop solutions that are more versatile when it comes to adapting them to different local contexts”. She added that working with public research organisations âalso allows us to benefit from their work and transform it into innovation to bring it to marketâ.
âWe have to work together so that everyoneâs interests can continue to thrive for the benefit of societiesâ, Malvasio said. Entrepreneurship, innovation and cooperation are the cornerstones that will make it possible for us to channel water, this essential resource, towards circularity and sustainable use.
