Pressures due to agricultural activities play a major role in the status of water resources systems. The evaluation of the effects of agricultural policies is therefore a key problem in water resource planning and management. The work presented in this paper is an attempt to include the predictable effects of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) in the process of water resources planning at the basin scale prescribed by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The approach is based on the combined use of three models: (i) an economic model used to predict the likely land use scenarios at the basin scale following the CAP reform; (ii) a spatially distributed hydrological model for the assessment of the related irrigation water requirements; and (iii) a decisional model supporting stakeholders and decision makers in the process of water resources planning. The paper presents an application to a pilot study area in Northern Italy. The results highlight how the CAP may produce an adjustment on the agricultural sector, with a shift towards more extensive land uses and to a greater productive diversification. The predicted changes in land use type and distribution are shown to have significant influence on water requirements, with a generalised decrease of their amount, which may exceed 10% in some areas. In turn, the decrease of irrigation demand can be exploited to achieve a higher degree of satisfaction of other water users in the basin and can improve the attainment of the WFD objectives.

Integrated modelling for agricultural policies and water resources planning coordination / C. Gandolfi, G. Sali, A. Facchi, A. Tediosi, C. Bulgheroni, M. Rienzner, E. Weber. - In: BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING. - ISSN 1537-5110. - 128:special issue(2014), pp. 100-112. [10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2014.06.006]

Integrated modelling for agricultural policies and water resources planning coordination

C. Gandolfi
Primo
;
G. Sali
Secondo
;
A. Facchi
;
A. Tediosi;C. Bulgheroni;M. Rienzner
Penultimo
;
E. Weber
Ultimo
2014

Abstract

Pressures due to agricultural activities play a major role in the status of water resources systems. The evaluation of the effects of agricultural policies is therefore a key problem in water resource planning and management. The work presented in this paper is an attempt to include the predictable effects of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) in the process of water resources planning at the basin scale prescribed by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The approach is based on the combined use of three models: (i) an economic model used to predict the likely land use scenarios at the basin scale following the CAP reform; (ii) a spatially distributed hydrological model for the assessment of the related irrigation water requirements; and (iii) a decisional model supporting stakeholders and decision makers in the process of water resources planning. The paper presents an application to a pilot study area in Northern Italy. The results highlight how the CAP may produce an adjustment on the agricultural sector, with a shift towards more extensive land uses and to a greater productive diversification. The predicted changes in land use type and distribution are shown to have significant influence on water requirements, with a generalised decrease of their amount, which may exceed 10% in some areas. In turn, the decrease of irrigation demand can be exploited to achieve a higher degree of satisfaction of other water users in the basin and can improve the attainment of the WFD objectives.
Water Framework Directive; Common Agricultural Policy; Integrated Water Resources Management; Land use change; Irrigation demand
Settore AGR/08 - Idraulica Agraria e Sistemazioni Idraulico-Forestali
Settore AGR/01 - Economia ed Estimo Rurale
2014
Article (author)
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/237057
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