top of page

You Can’t Make It Rain. But You Can Change What You Grow.

  • Aug 23
  • 2 min read

Sometimes the most interesting climate solutions aren’t new technologies. Sometimes they’re a field full of grass.



In Great Waltham, England, cattle farmer Sam Squier has something unusual this summer: green pasture.


That matters because 71% of England is currently in drought. Reservoir levels are falling, grass growth is poor, agricultural boreholes are drying up, and around 29 million people are living with restrictions on water use.

Yet aerial images from Squier’s farm show something striking: green fields surrounded by dry, yellow-brown farmland. The difference isn’t irrigation. It’s what he grows — and how he manages the soil.


From grass to a system

About a decade ago, Squier’s farm operated much more conventionally. But he began noticing problems: compacted soil, standing water and rising input costs. So he changed the system.

Today, his cattle graze what are known as herbal leys — diverse pasture made up of roughly 16 or 17 different plants, including grasses, legumes and deep-rooting herbs. Rather than depending on one type of shallow-rooted grass, the mixture sends roots to different depths and grows at different times of the year. The cattle are moved frequently through small areas. As they graze, they also trample vegetation onto the ground, creating a protective layer over the soil. Manure and plant material return nutrients to the land.


The objective is surprisingly simple:

Build healthier soil that can hold onto water when water is available.


And this summer, that preparation is paying off.

Reuters reported that some of Squier’s herbal pastures remained more than knee-high after roughly two months without rain — and without irrigation. He estimates that his soil now stores around 400,000 liters more water per acre than before he changed his farming practices, and he has not needed to buy winter cattle feed for eight years.


Adaptation before crisis

That may be the most important part of the story. Squier didn’t change his farm because this drought arrived. He changed it years ago because he realized the existing system wasn’t working as well as it could. Now the drought is revealing the value of that decision.


This week, delegates from around the world are entering the second week of UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia, where drought resilience, water, land restoration and financing are central topics. On August 25, ministers are scheduled to discuss how countries can shift away from simply reacting to drought and toward preparing for it.


Sam Squier’s farm offers a small but powerful example of what that idea looks like in practice.

We cannot control when it rains. But we can change how effectively our systems use the water that does arrive. And that principle goes far beyond agriculture. It applies to cities. Industry. Buildings. Infrastructure. And water itself.


💧 Water Thought of the Week

Resilience isn’t what you do when the drought arrives. It’s what you changed before it did.


At Expiatech, we believe the future of water isn't finding more—it's making better use of the water we already have.


Sources

bottom of page