Switzerland may be Europe’s “Chateau de l’eau” but even here the effects of a warming and unpredictable climate are biting. In the municipality of Salgesch (Valais) there is already an acute risk of water shortages, existentially threatening local agricultural production in the coming years. Now, the first-in-kind “Lienne-Raspille” project seeks to solve this problem of local seasonal water shortages, and serve as a blueprint for similar regions in Switzerland and globally. Reduced snow and glacier melt Just like California, Southern Europe and many other places, the municipality of Salgesch and its farmers rely on snow melt for irrigation in the summer, but this now runs out as soon as June. This triggers an acute shortage of water precisely when it is most urgently needed for irrigation. This poses a massive economic threat as the municipality’s income is significantly based on agriculture, viticulture and the associated tourism. To make matters worse, if the dry vineyard areas in Valais are no longer used and irrigated, this would set off negative feedback loops. Evaporation and evapotranspiration – crucial influences on a regional climate remaining moderate – would disappear completely, thus precipitating a downward spiral. Prize-winning technological solutions In 2021, an ambitious project to remediate these…