Modernization techniques and water conservation irrigation Spanish paradoxically did not serve to consume less streams, quite the contrary. This is the outcome of a report by the conservation group WWF that questions the assumed link between modernization and saving water.
The political and technical aim behind irrigation modernization has long been to reduce overall water use by boosting the efficiency of irrigation systems. Yet science challenges this claim. Increased efficiency in irrigation often leads to more water use due to a rebound effect, as highlighted by WWF in its analysis.
In WWF’s view, in many cases political and economic interests connected with co financing projects end up benefiting from modernization because it raises production and income for water users and farmers, rather than delivering lower water withdrawals.
Moreover the report argues that to counter the rebound effect, a substantial reduction in water allocations would be required. Such reductions have not been implemented by water authorities responsible for oversight and control.
The question remains: what is the water saved through irrigation modernization actually used for
According to WWF, the savings are redirected to support drier fields, to extend harvests, to grow more intensive crops, and to maximize productivity rather than to conserve water for river basins and aquatic ecosystems.
Since 2004, substantial funds have been invested in Spain for modernization of irrigation systems with European support framed as water saving. Yet data from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture shows a steady rise in irrigated areas over more than a decade, increasing from 3,367,486 hectares in 2002 to 3,605,121 hectares in 2014, a growth of roughly 7 percent. This pattern suggests that investments were not translating into reduced water withdrawals on the ground.
For this reason, the modernization of irrigation cannot be considered a tool to achieve environmental or climate change objectives as outlined in the Action Programs for achieving good status of water bodies, a key component of the policy framework surrounding agricultural water use.
possible alternatives
The report calls for real water demand reduction measures to be included in Hydrological Plans and for the Common Agricultural Policy to serve as an alternative to expanding irrigation capacity that consumes more water.
Some of the requested measures include:
- Extend controlled open irrigation on woody crops
- Universalize recommendations for water users to train in irrigation water adjustment and fertilization aligned with plant needs and available resources
- Reducing agricultural production by improving profitability through product quality and market alignment, with Water authorities tasked to plan harvests to meet real demand
- Systematic downward revision of already modernized irrigation concessions taking climate change into account
- Avoid using potential savings to sell water to other users or to intensify irrigation
- Monitor actual crop consumption and track water use and yield quality
A full report is available through a WWF publication cited in the analysis by WWF reporting on irrigation modernization and its effects on water scarcity.
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End note: public sector environmental authorities should consider more stringent and transparent water management practices and independent verification to ensure that water savings are real and beneficial to aquatic ecosystems.