technological developments for water resource efficiency · 1 © cranfield university 2017...

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www.cranfield.ac.uk

Technological developments for water resource efficiency

Tim Hess & Jerry Knox

13 June 2017, Brussels, Belgium


• 24% of total water abstraction in Europe is used

for agriculture (but ranges from 0 – 80%)

• Over-abstraction affects 10% of surface and 20%

of groundwater bodies

• The most vulnerable areas are in the

Mediterranean region

• Around 20 river basin districts face water stress

during the summer

• especially IT, ES, CY, MT

• but also DE, UK, BE, PT, BG

• Climate change will increase irrigation needs and

reduce water availability

Water for irrigation in the EU


Where does the water go?

Water supplied

Productive Plant transpiration

Unproductive

Storage (evaporation)

Spray evaporation & wind drift

Evaporation from soil & weeds

Conveyance (leakage)

Runoff

Drainage

5% - 50%

Losses

Hess & Knox (2013)


• System

• Improvement of irrigation systems

• Decreasing soil evaporation

• Reducing runoff

• Reduction of evaporation during storage

• Management

• Irrigation scheduling

• Deficit irrigation strategies

• Water table management

• Cropping

• Changing planting date

• Crop selection

Scope for water savings

Hess & Knox (2013)

Reducing non-

productive “losses”

Reducing productive

water use


• Surface irrigation (often inefficient) dominates in places like Bulgaria,

Croatia, Italy, Portugal and is important in Greece and Spain

• Sprinkler or localised has the potential to be more efficient

Switching irrigation technology


Water demand

Precision irrigation


Real-time soil moisture monitoring using a wireless sensor network


Real-time precision irrigation

GPS Irrigation

Controller

Data hub

Wireless soil

water sensors

Wireless solenoid

controller

Weather station

Wireless soil

water sensors

Farm

Office

Crop monitoring


Warning #1: Water / energy trade-offs

Daccache et al. (2014)

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

Water, Mm3 GHGE, 100t CO2e

Water use and GHG emissions in the Mediterranean region

Current Modernised

Current:

60% Surface

26% Sprinkler

14% Drip


Warning #1: Water / energy trade-offs

Daccache et al. (2014)

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

Water, Mm3 GHGE, 100t CO2e

Water use and GHG emissions in the Mediterranean region

Current Modernised

13% reduction in

water demand

135% increase in

GHG emissions


• In 2002, the Spanish government implemented a

national plan to modernize irrigation

infrastructure

• Allocated gravity distribution on-demand

pressurised systems

• 2 mil ha

• €7,400 mil

• Effects

• Energy demand / ha has increased +657%

• Energy costs (per kWh) have also increased

• Increased cost of watering drives a move to more

water intensive crops (higher € per m3) and greater

evapotranspiration

Irrigation modernisation in Spain

Rodríguez-Díaz (2012)


Warning #2: “Real” water losses

Water supplied

Productive Plant transpiration

Unproductive

Storage (evaporation)

Spray evaporation & wind drift

Evaporation from soil & weeds

Conveyance (leakage)

Runoff

Drainage

Return

Flows

Hess & Knox (2013)

“Losses”


• Most losses are returned to the environment and therefore available for

other uses

• Water productivity (kg/m3) at the farm level increases

• Encourages expansion of irrigation area to use available water

• Does not reduce water use

• Few document studies of irrigation modernisation, but most showed no

water savings

• Water use reduction requires good governance and water stewardship

Water efficiency and water saving

Perry & Steduto (2017)


Multi-level workingExample: Berry production in Huelva, Spain

Farm level1. Scheduling tool

2. Grower workshops

3. Publications

4. Social media

Estimated water saving = 2,300 Ml/year

Basin level1. Working with local government

to manage water allocations

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