3. Conclusions

The proposed smart drainage management approach will reduce yield losses during summer drought and also reduce nutrient loading to surface water from the agricultural field. Application of solar panels, reusing drainage water and reducing the nutrient loads are supportive of the concept of circular economy and sustainable resources management. The presented approach can lead to optimizing resources in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus of Nordic agriculture. The key advantages of the proposed approach are: (i) It is simple, flexible, and eco-friendly; (ii) It can support sustainable crop production in the Nordic region by reducing yield losses during summer drought; (iii) It contributes to the European Union Water Framework Directive’s (WFD) by potentially reducing nutrient loading from agricultural fields to surface and sub-surface waters; (iv) It supports the use of renewable energy sources in line with the EU Green Deal and COP26 objectives, and; (v) It supports UN SDGs (SDG goal 6, targets 6.3 and 6.4) as it promotes the safe reuse of agricultural drainage water for irrigation and provides opportunities to increase water use efficiency.