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Social aspects influencing water management in the Lemos Valley irrigation district, Spain
Author(s) -
Cuesta T. S.,
Cancela J. J.,
Dafonte J.,
Valcárcel M.,
Neira X. X.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
irrigation and drainage
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1531-0361
pISSN - 1531-0353
DOI - 10.1002/ird.162
Subject(s) - geography , irrigation management , action plan , forestry , irrigation , political science , business , management , economics , archaeology , agriculture , ecology , biology
The new scenario of water policy favoured by the European Union Directive establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, and by the National Irrigation Plan in Spain, requires sustainable and integrated management of water resources. A total of 119 farmers were surveyed in order to implement a management model in the Lemos Valley District, where irrigation plays a main role. The survey provides a sample of representative farms, from which real‐time updated information can be obtained. This information can be used as the basis for decision‐making during the process of implementation and development of the management model. In the study area, farms are small and show a high fragmentation level. Moreover, the farmers who in charge of them are old. The state of distribution network forces farmers to abandon irrigation because they lack motivation to irrigate. Therefore, irrigation rehabilitation must be accompanied by socio‐economic profile and by technical measures that allow rehabilitation to be undertaken. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.