Groundwater in Irrigation Systems: From Menace to Mainstay

Bouarfa, Sami; Kuper, Marcel

doi:10.1002/ird.1651

Cited by 27 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(106 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition, drip irrigation favoured the development of vegetable cultivation and orchard plantations, which are more demanding in terms of water. This effect is widely observed in irrigation systems worldwide where less labour‐intensive irrigation techniques are associated with free access to groundwater (Bouarfa and Kuper, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Assessing Environmental Impacts of Groundwater Irrigation Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method: Application to a Tunisian Arid Region

Pradeleix

Bouarfa²,

Maurel

et al. 2018

Irrigation and Drainage

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Groundwater irrigation is an opportunity to improve yield, but it also brings about a variety of environmental impacts that go beyond the most noticeable impact of water depletion. In this paper, a multi‐criteria environmental impact assessment based on life cycle analysis (LCA) is conducted at the regional level on the Kairouan Plain (Tunisia) where groundwater withdrawals for irrigation purposes are constantly increasing. At this regional level, we have addressed impacts of both groundwater pumping and cropping practices. The diversity of farming and cropping systems was also accounted for. Results highlight that the main processes contributing to the impacts on resources—when overlooking impacts on water depletion—are: energy used for groundwater pumping (23%), fertilization (30%), i.e. road transportation of manure (21%), ammonium nitrate manufacturing (9%), and also the manufacturing of irrigation pipes (13%). However, the specific impacts of freshwater depletion on natural resources are by far the most severe when accounted for in the method. Indeed, it is essential that these impacts on freshwater depletion be fully accounted for in this water‐scarce context, especially given the increasing water scarcity predicted by climatic models. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…75% (Margat, ). The intensification of groundwater extraction is of growing concern when compared to the classical issues of waterlogging and salinity in irrigation and drainage sciences (Bouarfa and Kuper, ). Energy consumed for groundwater withdrawal purposes is also a crucial issue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Environmental Impacts of Groundwater Irrigation Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method: Application to a Tunisian Arid Region

Pradeleix

Bouarfa²,

Maurel

et al. 2018

Irrigation and Drainage

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This has led to an important decrease in water tables that is currently a major concern worldwide. In addition, another problem is the limited application of conjunctive use (Bouarfa and Kuper, 2012). Together with the development of groundwater use, new institutions (both formally and informally) have been developed locally, although informal institutions are not often recognized.…”

Section: Long-term Sustainability Of Traditional Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collective management of irrigation in eastern Spain. Integration of new technologies and water resources.

Reig¹,

Violeta²

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Vicent Andrés EstellésLes pedres de l'àmfora. Obra completa 2, (1972, p.252), L'Estel, Valencia (Spain) The aim of this thesis is to analyze how farmer-managed systems adapt to the changes related to the integration of new water resources and drip irrigation technologies. This work includes two main parts. The first one focuses on traditional gravity irrigation and the emergence of new water resources. The second one looks at irrigation systems that have been transformed to drip irrigation. All the studies included in this dissertation centre the attention in understanding aspects of collective management. For this reason, special consideration is placed on the perceptions of farmers and managers of Water User Associations by means of semi-structured interviews.Chapters two and three study the operating principles for water management.These principles, when applied by farmers as collective rules, result in interactions that create equity on water rights and transparency. The study area includes the irrigation system of the Huerta of Valencia (Spain). This system, well known internationally, has traditionally used surface water from the Turia River. Though recently, the use of groundwater and treated wastewater have been integrated with surface water. In this context, the analysis evolves around the subject of how the rules, developed for the sharing of surface water, have been adapted for conjunctive use of these new water resources. In addition, attention is also placed on how this process was crucial for the management of the 2005 -2008 drought period.Results show that the operating principles, based in the proportionality and uniformity on irrigation frequency between users, underlie a system of distribution that is equitable, transparent and robust. In addition, the use of drought emergency wells and the reuse of treated wastewater have not resulted in any important conflict. These resources are used together with surface water during drought periods, increasing the guarantee of supply. However, treated wastewater use affects the uniformity on irrigation frequency among Water User Associations. Besides, Groundwater User Associations overlap in irrigated surface, farmers and infrastructure with Water User Associations Chapter five discusses and compares the implications of the previous chapters.Some aspects of irrigation management and governance are assessed in a more detailed manner for the case of gravity irrigation Water Users Associations. In addition, the changes related to the introduction of drip irrigation technologies and new water resources are further compared. The two processes present challenges for irrigation organization. Meanwhile the integration of new water sources has been gradual and does not entail major changes for self-organization, drip irrigation promotes a fundamental institutional change. This change may have a disruptive effect on self-organization if this new community-based drip irrigation does not manage to adapt and include braoder aspects of irrigation management beyond pu...

show abstract

“…Modern irrigation is closely tied to the use of energy. The advent of diesel and electric motors in the mid‐twentieth century led to the development of pressurized irrigation systems and allowed the intensive use of groundwater (Bouarfa and Kuper, ). Access to energy boosts irrigation wherever water resources are available and the rainfall is not sufficient to meet crop water needs.…”

Section: What Does Energy Access Change?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Irrigation and Energy: Issues and Challenges

Belaud

Mateos

Aliod³

et al. 2019

Irrigation and Drainage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Water‐efficient agriculture has implied a large increase in energy consumption for irrigation in recent decades. In many irrigation systems, energy costs are now threatening their sustainability. However, new opportunities have arisen for the use of renewable energies in the irrigation sector. These are some of the aspects of the multifaceted multiple‐actor ‘water–food–energy' nexus. Technical, economic and environmental issues are linked in many ways, involving farmers, water users' associations, energy suppliers, engineers and other stakeholders. The ICID session ‘Irrigation and energy' triggered discussions on these multiple dimensions. This paper presents a synthesis of the presentations, discussions and conclusions. Four main questions are addressed: How do irrigation productivity and sustainability of water resources exploitation change when farmers have access to energy? What do we know about energy efficiency in irrigation systems, at farm and collective network levels? How can this efficiency be optimized by using advanced technologies, modelling tools, improved management? Is energy production an opportunity for irrigation systems? These questions have been posed based on multiple case studies from different parts of the world. The BRL network, in southern France, illustrates advanced strategies and opportunities to reduce energy consumption and develop energy production at a network level. General conclusions are drawn from this synthesis, illustrating trade‐offs and synergies that can be identified in the irrigation sector at different scales, while opportunities for future research are proposed. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Groundwater in Irrigation Systems: From Menace to Mainstay

Cited by 27 publications

References 70 publications

Assessing Environmental Impacts of Groundwater Irrigation Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method: Application to a Tunisian Arid Region

Assessing Environmental Impacts of Groundwater Irrigation Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method: Application to a Tunisian Arid Region

Collective management of irrigation in eastern Spain. Integration of new technologies and water resources.

Irrigation and Energy: Issues and Challenges

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About