Hester Biemans Receives An ERC Grant For Research Into Food Security Around The Himalayas

Hester Biemans, researcher specialized in Water and Food Security at Wageningen University & Research, will receive an ERC Consolidator Grant of 2 million euros for her research into water and food security in Asia.

The high mountains of Asia, also called the Third Pole, store enormous amounts of ice and snow. The meltwater from these mountains feeds 12 major rivers that flow through 16 countries. The basins of these rivers, which together house almost 2 billion people and contain very large irrigation systems, together form one of the most important food-producing regions in the world.

Hester Biemans' project, "3POLE2SEA", focuses on these food-producing areas. With the project she wants to better understand the effects of the rapid melting of ice and snow in the mountains on people and food production downstream.

Following water from glaciers down
“There has been a lot of attention lately about the rapid melting of glaciers and snow in the Himalayas and the consequences of climate change in the mountains. But we know surprisingly little about the enormous impact this melting will have on food production in the regions fed by this mountain water. Where, when and how much will food production in downstream agricultural areas be affected by these changes? And what options are there to adapt to this? This is a big gap in our current knowledge,” says Biemans.

The research tracks how water from the glaciers ultimately ends up in irrigated fields and how 12 different watersheds depend on mountain water and other water supplies. Biemans will develop a new method to analyze how climate change and changing meltwater patterns will affect the connection between mountains and regions downstream. The ultimate goal is to use this knowledge to design so-called adaptation strategies, which can prevent damage to crops due to increasing water shortages or flooding.

The ERC Consolidator Grant emphasizes the added value of Hester Biemans' integrated and multidisciplinary approach, which is necessary to advance our understanding of the complex relationship between Himalayan changes, water availability and downstream food production.

About The European Research Council (ERC)
Established by the European Union in 2007, the ERC is a leading European funding organization for excellent frontier research. It supports creative researchers of all nationalities and ages, and promotes projects in various disciplines across Europe. Biemans has secured one of the 308 scholarships awarded this year. This funding, a key part of the EU's Horizon Europe programme, will support researchers in consolidating their independent research teams.