IRRIGO

In recent decades, Spanish hydraulic policies have promoted the adoption of new irrigation technologies with different technical characteristics (i.e., different modernizations or models of modernization). These modernizations have required significant investments of public and private resources and will increase with the current wave of digitalization investments (for example, PERTE), which in many cases will represent a new technological leap.

Previous modernizations have often been unable to generate real water savings and have had numerous unintended effects. It is time to evaluate the results achieved, not only in terms of water savings but also in terms of the resilience of rural communities to global change. It is essential to analyze how different modernizations prepare farms for the future, especially given the critical situation of Mediterranean agrarian systems.

This project adopts a systematic and integrated approach to irrigation modernizations in Spain, from a multidisciplinary perspective and a multiscalar approach. The goal is to understand the socioecological dynamics of irrigation systems and estimate under what conditions these modernizations can contribute to the well-being of rural populations and territorial resilience, in a context marked by climate change, depopulation, and global markets.

Methodology

To achieve these objectives, a combination of methodologies will be used, including:

• Large-scale statistical analyses.
• Participatory methods, such as surveys, discussion groups, interviews, and workshops at both the national and local levels.
• The integration of statistical and remote sensing data with qualitative and quantitative data.

To apply these methodologies, three study areas have been selected with different socioecological characteristics: the horticultural irrigation systems of the Valencia Gulf, the groundwater irrigation systems of the eastern edge of the Meseta, and the extensive crop irrigation systems of the Ebro Valley.

Each of these areas has irrigation systems with different experiences of modernization, which will allow for a comparison of the effects of modernizations and the evaluation of how these generate socioecological transformations and affect resilience to threats.

Project Results

The results will be analyzed using techniques such as spatial regression analysis, modeling, discourse analysis, and qualitative comparative analysis, leading to:

• Scientific publications that will contribute to the literature on the resilience of socioecological systems, transformations, and rural development.
• Social and political reports that will help adapt modernization policies to the diversity of rural contexts and irrigation systems in Spain.
• The development of new sociotechnical solutions to address future threats.

In addition, the project will make a special effort in knowledge transfer activities through journalistic articles, reports and interactive maps, feedback meetings, and policy summaries.