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Modelled potential for reusing water for agricultural irrigation in the EU

Figure Created 01 Jun 2022 Published 05 Jul 2022 Last modified 03 Jun 2022
1 min read
Demand is estimated on the basis of calculated irrigation water requirements. The biophysical model EPIC was used because it simulates crop production under different farming practices and operations including fertilization and irrigation application rates and timing and because it considers nutrient losses to the environment (N leaching and runoff).

European data

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information.png Units:

m3/year

information.png Rights:
EEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (https://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).
information.png Owners:
European Environment Agency (EEA)
information.png Processors:
European Commission
information.png Figure type:
Map

Additional information

The analysis yielding the irrigation map was performed by Faycal Bouraoui and collaborators at the Joint Research Centre: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022169409003175

http://dx.doi.org/10.2760/263713

The analysis used the EPIC model, which calculates annual crop water requirements, expressed in m3 per grid cell of 25 km2

Related content

Based on data

External Data Spec Estimating irrigation water requirements in Europe In Southern Europe, irrigated agriculture is by far the largest consumer of freshwater resources. However, consistent information on irrigation water use in the European Union is still lacking. We applied the crop growth model EPIC to calculate irrigation requirements in the EU and Switzerland, combining available regional statistics on crop distribution and crop specific irrigated area with spatial data sources on soils, land use and climate. The model was applied at a 10×10km grid using different irrigation strategies over a period of 8years. The irrigation requirements reflect the spatial distribution of irrigated areas, climatic conditions and crops. Simulated net irrigation requirements range from 53mm/yr in Denmark to 1120mm/yr in Spain, translating into estimated volumetric net irrigation requirements of 107mio.m3 and 35,919mio.m3, respectively. We estimate gross irrigation demands to be 1.3–2.5 times higher than field requirements, depending on the efficiency of transport and irrigation management. A comparison with national and regional data on water abstractions for irrigation illustrates the information deficit related to currently available reported data, as not only model limitations but also different national approaches, country-specific uncertainties (illegal or unrecorded abstractions), and restrictions of actual water use come into play. In support of European environmental and agricultural policies, this work provides a large-scale overview on irrigation water requirements in Europe applying a uniform approach with a sufficiently high spatial resolution to support identification of hot spots and regional comparisons. It will also provide a framework for national irrigation water use estimations and supports further analysis of agricultural pressures on water quantity in Europe. Keywords: Agriculture; Irrigation; Water abstractions; Crop water requirement; Europe; Large-scale modeling

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For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/modelled-potential-for-reusing-water or scan the QR code.

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Filed under: water reuse, agriculture
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