Agriculture and Europe's water
Irrigation accounted for about 24% of water abstraction in Europe, against 44% for cooling in power generation. Cooling water, however, almost all returns to rivers. For irrigation, often only about a third returns. Agriculture also affects water quality: in some regions, pesticides and fertilisers are still a main cause of pollution.
Where irrigation matters most
- In 2003 about 16 million hectares of the EU-27's 182 million hectares of farmland were equipped for irrigation.
- In central and northern Europe, farming takes under 1% of abstraction (Belgium 0.1%, Germany 0.5%, Netherlands 0.8%). There, irrigation is mostly used to get through dry summers.
- France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain hold about 12 million irrigable hectares, three quarters of the EU-27 total. Agriculture there takes more than 60% of abstraction (Spain 64%, Portugal 80%, Greece 88%).
- In Spain, about 14% of farmland is irrigated, but it produces more than 60% of the value of agricultural output.
These figures were published by European environmental agencies at the time. They explain why the project's test sites were mostly in southern Europe.