Abstract
Improving irrigation management is of relevant importance to ensure a sustainable use of resources in water-scarce areas. Among the actors involved in water management, irrigation communities (ICs) are key players. This work aims to identify which ICs attributes explain the observed variability in performance indicators (PI). To this end, panel data regression models have been applied using a 9-year data set of different indicators from five ICs in the Segura River Basin, south-east Spain. Our study indicates that a limited number of IC attributes—amount of supplied water, water delivery infrastructure, use of groundwater, water allocation method, size and price paid for energy of the IC—explain most of the variability of the PI considered in the study. From this PI approach, it appears that the evaluated ICs should preferably use an on-demand water allocation method, adopt size growing policies and collective action for energy purchase to obtain economies of scale and higher security in water provision to farms, and also to update irrigation systems. Furthermore, water distribution systems that require high energy demand should be used only when they permit to reduce irregularity and risks of shortage in water supply.
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Notes
Irrigation Communities, Irrigation Schemes, Irrigation Districts, Irrigation Associations or Water User Associations are terms generally employed to define the collective use of irrigation water.
The technology used in the area is based on a pressurised pipe network with individual water meter.
According with the work of Alcon et al. (2014) in the SRB, the adoption of policies to reduce supply uncertainty, such as inter basin water transferences or the use of alternative water resources seem the measures viewed by the farmers with less aversion.
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Acknowledgements
This work was carried out under the GEAMED project “Gestión y Eficiencia del Uso Sostenible del Agua de Riego en la Cuenca Mediterránea” (AGL2010-22221-C02-01), financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and the ERDF, and the European F7 project “Sustainable use of irrigation water in the Mediterranean Region” (SIRRIMED-FP7-FOOD-CT-2009-245159), financed by DG Research of the European Commission.
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Communicated by E. Fereres.
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Alcon, F., García-Bastida, P.A., Soto-García, M. et al. Explaining the performance of irrigation communities in a water-scarce region. Irrig Sci 35, 193–203 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-016-0531-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-016-0531-7