Mediterranean irrigation is diverse due to, among other factors, the relative importance of water in the economy of each country, varied levels of aridity, heterogeneous levels economic, social and technological levels of development, and differences in political and social organization. However, most of the Mediterranean countries face similar problems to meet their water demands because of the scarcity and variability of renewable resources, growing water requirements from non-agricultural sectors, increasing environmental concerns related to water quality and environmental degradation, a social demand for larger public participation, and important technological changes. The time has come to reconsider the “not one drop lost to the sea” philosophy of yesteryears largely and to 'live within limits'. This book focuses on eight selected countries (Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Israel and Egypt) and provides a comparative perspective that both thoroughly explores their specificities and identifies the common challenges faced by the irrigation sector in these countries. The book has been written at a critical moment, when the continued application of a supply-side water management model is revealing its unsustainable nature in numerous places; when significant technological changes are taking place in the irrigation sector; when new forms of management and governance are widely held as badly needed; and finally, when climate change is compounding many of the difficulties that have characterized irrigation policies and practices in the past decades. This complicated future context makes Mediterranean irrigation face various political dilemmas on water management, raising social tensions, triggering territorial and land conflicts, and stimulating new technological developments. This book provides a timely analysis of the particular trajectory of eight Mediterranean countries in these uncertain transformations, and attempts to identify the best strategies to avert or overcome future risks.

Water Resources in the Mediterranean Region summarizes and collates scientific developments around water resources in the Mediterranean socio-economic environment through a multidisciplinary framework synthesizing hydrology, hydrogeology, climate, bioclimatology, economics, and geography. As such, it provides essential information for any reader looking to learn more about the Mediterranean which is experiencing the impact of climate change and concurrent complex issues of anthropogenic effects, especially in agriculture and other resource uses. Water Resources in the Mediterranean Region covers different challenges in the issue of the evolution of water resources in the Mediterranean. It is intended for PhD students, research scientists, and managers interested in new solutions and approaches for water management and in the forecast of future water dynamics. Offers multidisciplinary content providing global visions of the challenges faced in the Mediterranean region Presents fundamental and operational studies, providing the reader with information on how to implement these actions and results themselves Written in a pedagogical manner, allowing for ease of reading for both researchers and water managers

Mediterranean irrigation is diverse due to, among other factors, the relative importance of water in the economy of each country, varied levels of aridity, heterogeneous levels economic, social and technological levels of development, and differences in political and social organization. However, most of the Mediterranean countries face similar problems to meet their water demands because of the scarcity and variability of renewable resources, growing water requirements from non-agricultural sectors, increasing environmental concerns related to water quality and environmental degradation, a social demand for larger public participation, and important technological changes. The time has come to reconsider the "not one drop lost to the sea" philosophy of yesteryears largely and to 'live within limits'. This book focuses on eight selected countries (Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Israel and Egypt) and provides a comparative perspective that both thoroughly explores their specificities and identifies the common challenges faced by the irrigation sector in these countries. The book has been written at a critical moment, when the continued application of a supply-side water management model is revealing its unsustainable nature in numerous places; when significant technological changes are taking place in the irrigation sector; when new forms of management and governance are widely held as badly needed; and finally, when climate change is compounding many of the difficulties that have characterized irrigation policies and practices in the past decades. This complicated future context makes Mediterranean irrigation face various political dilemmas on water management, raising social tensions, triggering territorial and land conflicts, and stimulating new technological developments. This book provides a timely analysis of the particular trajectory of eight Mediterranean countries in these uncertain transformations, and attempts to identify the best strategies to avert or overcome future risks.

This book aims at deriving governance and sustainability lessons from analysing the implementation and management of some major irrigation programs in the Mediterranean Region. Eight countries are targeted, namely: Spain, Italy, Albania, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. The main focus programs include the modernisation and rehabilitation of the existing irrigation systems, the transfer of irrigation management responsibilities to water users’ organizations, public private partnerships arrangements, the monitoring & evaluation of participatory irrigation management and transfer processes, and the governance of groundwater resources for irrigation. The adopted approach relies on learning from the value of each single experience, and on advancing solutions that emerge from their comparative analysis and that may be of guidance to those engaged in these programs. The country experiences indicated that often times, significant shortcomings in the implementation of these programs have occurred and hopefully, this book could be a source of inspiration for the corrective actions needed.

Modern and Traditional Irrigation Technologies in the Eastern Mediterranean

Water Resources in the Mediterranean Region summarizes and collates scientific developments around water resources in the Mediterranean socio-economic environment through a multidisciplinary framework synthesizing hydrology, hydrogeology, climate, bioclimatology, economics, and geography. As such, it provides essential information for any reader looking to learn more about the Mediterranean which is experiencing the impact of climate change and concurrent complex issues of anthropogenic effects, especially in agriculture and other resource uses. Water Resources in the Mediterranean Region covers different challenges in the issue of the evolution of water resources in the Mediterranean. It is intended for PhD students, research scientists, and managers interested in new solutions and approaches for water management and in the forecast of future water dynamics. Offers multidisciplinary content providing global visions of the challenges faced in the Mediterranean region Presents fundamental and operational studies, providing the reader with information on how to implement these actions and results themselves Written in a pedagogical manner, allowing for ease of reading for both researchers and water managers

In the Mediterranean region, agriculture is considered as the sector where the biggest volume of water can be saved as it represents around 80 percent of total demand, and a large amount of water is poorly used. The idea of the present report is to gather a number of "success stories". The case studies in five countries (Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia) were analysed in terms of main success as well as limiting factors, reported water savings and crop yield increase, as well as increase of water use efficiency. The lessons learnt include: Localised irrigation is not a miracle technology; modernised surface irrigation can be a water saving technique; a water conservation enabling environment is necessary to achieve successful water conservation and improve water use efficiency; sustainability of water management depends on carefully selected measures that complement each other.