Irrigation Management from a Qualitative Approach: How Key Stakeholders are Involved in Decision-Making Processes. Learning from Irrigated Agricultural Systems in Spain, France and Italy

Concerns about water scarcity and management have focused attention on agricultural use of water and irrigation. As the largest water-using sector worldwide, irrigation have to adapt to new demands of non-consumptive water uses. This research applies the Stakeholder analysis approach and the Governance model approach to evaluate perceptions of and preferences for irrigation use and its management in three multi-functional irrigated agricultural systems from Southern Europe. The obtained results from their application in three large irrigation areas in Spain, France, and Italy highlight the conflicting attitudes on irrigation development from confronted points of view (public and private services, rural community, and civil society), the key stakeholders’ profiles and their interactions in decision-making processes, and the ability to improve agreements by promoting social learning methods and participative tools. These results can be used by the relevant authorities to customize their interventions, knowing which are the different stakeholders’ priorities and establishing also more effective avenues of communication.