The Spanish National Irrigation Plan - Water and Agriculture: Sustainability, Markets and Policies - page 355

The Spanish National Irrigation Plan — Horizon 2008
After more than seven years of studies, research and enquiries the Royal Decree
329/2002, enacted in 2002 was the starting point for the National Irrigation Plan —
Horizon 2008 (in Spanish, Plan Nacional de Regadíos, PNR) as a response to the new
challenges and society demands for the Spanish irrigation-based agriculture, with actions
aimed at:
saving water and rationalising water management in irrigation bodies
contributing to consolidate the national agro-food system under the framework of the
CAP and the market evolution
improving social and economic status of farmers
contributing to the territorial balance, maintaining population in rural zones
controlling the inputs use, reducing diffuse pollution and water consumption, and
incorporating other environmental aspects into the management of irrigation bodies.
The PNR implementation is based on principles of coordination and cooperation with
the autonomous administrations and the stakeholders, mainly those grouped into
irrigating farmer's communities.
Actions included in the PNR are implemented through agreements between the State
General Administration (SGA) and the autonomous governments and between the SGA
and irrigating farmers' communities.
The PNR include five action programmes:
improvement and modernisation of traditional irrigation bodies
infrastructures in irrigation bodies into execution, completing works in the big
irrigation zones created during the twentieth century
new infrastructures for social purposes, implemented in irrigation zones of less than
2 000 ha, in order to maintain population in rural settlements
new infrastructures in private irrigating farmers communities, implemented in
irrigation zones of less than 2 000 ha to consolidate local agricultural production, and
supporting programme: includes monitoring and permanent assessment programmes,
training, dissemination of modern technologies and complementary studies.
Table 5 shows the diverse importance of the programmes in surface and investment.