In the dry Ladany‑Volgy region of eastern Hungary, near the Slovakian border, local volunteers have taken matters into their own hands. Under the banner of the grassroots “Water Guardians Movement,” forest workers and community members are piling logs, deadwood and stones to create terraces and small dams that can hold any rain that eventually falls.
“The wells on my farm have practically run dry,” said Bence Bardos, a 36‑year‑old forest engineer leading the terrace‑building team. He attributes the severe water shortage to climate change and the unique geography of the Carpathian basin. While the drought has left many fields parched, Bardos believes small, locally‑driven projects can “improve the situation by reversing water runoff and drainage.”
Why volunteers are stepping in
For decades, Hungary’s water policy focused on flood control: draining wetlands, straightening rivers and building canals to push water quickly away from farmland. Professor Diana Ürge‑Vorsatz of Central European University explained that these measures accelerated river flow and lowered groundwater levels. Today, the government’s August‑issued strategy flips that approach, prioritising “natural water retention methods” and even allowing certain fields to be deliberately flooded to recharge aquifers.
Volunteers are putting the new policy into practice on the ground. By constructing log terraces on slopes and erecting low‑tech barriers across streams, they hope to slow runoff, let water soak into the soil and restore wetlands that once acted as natural sponges.
Agricultural impact
Hungary’s agriculture, a key pillar of the national economy, feels the strain. Maize acreage has fallen below that of sunflowers for the first time, and even sunflowers are showing altered oil quality due to dry weather, according to agronomist Zoltán Kende. Researchers are developing drought‑resistant seed varieties and refining planting schedules, but they admit they cannot “perform a rain dance.”
The central bank estimates that the drought could shave 0.4 percentage points off Hungary’s 2026 economic growth, underscoring the urgency of community‑based water‑saving measures.
Local voices
Residents like Borbála Kanizsay, who lives near the project site with her husband, have witnessed the changes firsthand. “The creek that ran past our house ran dry in May – the first time I can remember,” she said. “Most of our trees lost their leaves in July. It is a terrible sight, but we must adapt and keep Hungary livable.”
These volunteers embody a growing recognition that local action, supported by a national shift toward water‑friendly policies, can help safeguard families, farms and the environment against an increasingly hot and dry future.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
