The Spanish National Irrigation Plan - Water and Agriculture: Sustainability, Markets and Policies - page 350

The most important programme of PNR is “Improvement and modernisation of
traditional irrigation systems” in which the four State owned companies for agricultural
infrastructures called SEIASAS (in Spanish, Sociedad Estatal de Infraestructuras
Agrarias, Sociedad Anónima) play a key role. There are three more action programmes
less financed and affecting a more reduced area: “Works in irrigation zones with
infrastructures into execution”, “New infrastructures for social purposes” and “New
infrastructures in private irrigation communities”. The fifth programme includes
supporting actions such as an environmental monitoring programme, training and
educational programmes for irrigating farmers, complementary studies, knowledge and
dissemination of new technologies, etc.
The expected outcomes are: water savings; increased efficiency in water management;
control of inputs use and consequent improvement of water quality; extended
implementation of automated irrigation technologies; increased capacity to diversify
crops for a market-oriented production; increased competitiveness facing global markets;
improvement of irrigating farmers work conditions; a more balanced territorial
distribution of population. In short, the Spanish PNR has to contribute to an
economically, socially and environmentally sustainable development of many Spanish
rural zones.

Introduction

Near 3.8 million hectares in Spain are irrigable, while from 3.2 to 3.4 ha are irrigated
every year, depending on the hydrological season. That is about 14 per cent per cent of
the total Agricultural Used Area, but, in economic terms, this area represents 13.000 M

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more than 60 per cent of the total Agricultural Production value.
Irrigation has a great influence in the development of many rural zones in Spain. One
irrigated hectare produces average 6.5 times more than one rain-fed hectare (see Table 1).
Studies developed during the PNR planning process have pointed out the next main
rural development issues related to irrigation:

Economic aspects:

increasing yields and benefits per cultivated hectare

diversification of agricultural production

guarantied production against climatic variability, and

increase of agro-food industries.

Employment:

man power generation, and

increase of indirect employment.