SIRRIMED project will address issues related to sustainable use of water in Mediterranean irrigated agricultural systems, with the overall aim of optimizing irrigation water use. The approach proposed in SIRRIMED for reaching this goal will be based in an Integrated Water Irrigation Management (IWIM) where the improved water use efficiency will be considered at farm, irrigation district and watershed scales. These strategies include innovative and more efficient irrigation techniques for improving water productivity and allow savings in water consumption. SIRRIMED will consider the development, test and validation of new deficit irrigation strategies, the sustainable and safe use of poor quality waters and the improvement of precise irrigation scheduling using plant sensors. These new techniques will be integrated with suitable husbandry irrigation practices. At the district scale, efforts should be directed towards an integrated policy of water allocation which accounts for the characteristics and specificity of each farm, requiring the availabity of data bases and efficient management tools (decision support systems) specifically designed to fulfil the objectives of maximizing water use efficiency. At the watershed scale, priority is devoted to the assessment of new models of water governance, and the definition of strategies and policies aimed at promoting a more responsible use of irrigation water. Finally, SIRRIMED will establish a sound dissemination strategy for transfer of knowledge towards the end users, with a real partipatory approach to facilitate an adequate involvement of stakeholders (farmers, association of irrigation users, water authorities and SMEs).

FutureWater has been actively involved in the development of a District Information System (DIS) and a Watershed Information System (WIS) for the Campo de Cartagena case study area.

The proposed DIS will be developed from a GIS-based modelling approach which integrates a generic crop model and a hydraulic model of the transport/distribution system, and will use remote sensing information. The objectives are (i) the development of an operational algorithm to retrieve crop evapotranspiration from remote sensing data, (ii) the development of an information system with friendly user interface for the data base, the crop module and the hydraulic module (WP4 deliverables) and (iii) the analysis and validation of management scenarios from model simulations predicting the respective behaviour of the on-farm and off-farm systems. The overall objective of WP4 is the harmonisation of on-farm and off-farm management by means of a District Information System (DIS) which could be used by stakeholders at purposes of district day-to-day management as well as for planning and strategic decision-making.

The watershed information system (WIS) combines the objectives of acquiring and synthesising the information required for (i) environmental assessment of irrigation activities and (ii) regional planning of water resources, both on catchment scale. In particular, the tool will be designed to supply synthetic and quantitative outputs of the different components of the catchment hydrologic balance, and to diagnose the likely impact of irrigation water use on the quantity and quality of water resources downstream of the irrigation schemes. The development of an information system at the watershed level is a prerequisite for proposing, in the future, strategies of water use and distribution accounting for limited regional water resources and for a limitation of environmental perturbation that can be induced by irrigation activities.

For more information, please visit the SIRRIMED website.

Related publications

• 2016 - Agricultural Water ManagementRomero-Triguerosa, C., P.A. Nortes, J.J. Alarcón, J.E. Hunink, M. Parra, S. Contreras, P. Droogers, E. Nicolás. 2016. Effects of saline reclaimed waters and deficit irrigation on Citrusphysiology assessed by UAV remote sensing. Agricultural Water Management. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.09.014.X

  Effects of saline reclaimed waters and deficit irrigation on Citrusphysiology assessed by UAV remote sensing

  Romero-Triguerosa, C., P.A. Nortes, J.J. Alarcón, J.E. Hunink, M. Parra, S. Contreras, P. Droogers, E. Nicolás

• 2016 - Environmental ReviewsJimenez-Martinez, J., J.L. Garcia-Arostegui, J.E. Hunink, S. Contreras, P. Baudron, L. Candela. 2016. The role of groundwater in highly human-modified hydrosystems: a review of impacts and mitigation options in the Campo de Cartagena-Mar Menor coastal plain (SE Spain). Environmental Reviews, 2016, 24, 377-392. doi:10.1139/er-2015-0089.X

  The role of groundwater in highly human-modified hydrosystems: a review of impacts and mitigation options in the Campo de Cartagena-Mar Menor coastal plain (SE Spain)

  Jimenez-Martinez, J., J.L. Garcia-Arostegui, J.E. Hunink, S. Contreras, P. Baudron, L. Candela

• 2015 - Agricultural Water ManagementHunink, J.E., S. Contreras, M. Soto-García, B. Martin-Gorriz, V. Martinez-Álvarez, A. Baille. 2015. Estimating groundwater use patterns of perennial and seasonal crops in a Mediterranean irrigation scheme, using remote sensing. Agricultural Water Management, 162, 47–56. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2015.08.003X

  Estimating groundwater use patterns of perennial and seasonal crops in a Mediterranean irrigation scheme, using remote sensing

  Hunink, J.E., S. Contreras, M. Soto-García, B. Martin-Gorriz, V. Martinez-Álvarez, A. Baille

• 2014 - Water Environment ResearchContreras, S., P. Pérez-Cutillas, C.S. Santoni, C. Romero-Trigueros, F. Pedrero, J.J. Alarcán. 2014. Effects of reclaimed waters on spectral properties and leaf traits of Citrus orchards. Water Environment Research 86: 2242-2250X

  Effects of reclaimed waters on spectral properties and leaf traits of Citrus orchards

  Contreras, S., P. Pérez-Cutillas, C.S. Santoni, C. Romero-Trigueros, F. Pedrero, J.J. Alarcón

• 2014 - FutureWater Report 125Contreras, S., J.E. Hunink, A. Baille. 2014. Building a Watershed Information System for the Campo de Cartagena basin (Spain) integrating hydrological modeling and remote sensing. FutureWater Report 125.X

  Building a Watershed Information System for the Campo de Cartagena basin (Spain) integrating hydrological modeling and remote sensing

  Contreras, S., J.E. Hunink, A. Baille