Requirements for Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture

Abstract

The aim of this review is to present a holistic view on irrigation with respect to local environmental and social conditions. Future irrigation development is addressed with a focus on sustainable development. However, technical irrigation aspects are included and references are provided for further reading and completeness. An irrigation intervention is always a combination of feasible technical, social and environmental aspects. This review provides an overview of the various fields of expertise involved in irrigation interventions and contributes to cross-discipline discussions and understanding. The selected cases demonstrate the bias of human developments and they serve to raise awareness of the impact of human interventions. The practical examples refer mainly to the authors’ project experiences and were selected so as to support pathways for sustainable irrigation development. Placing modern irrigation in relation to sustainable development goals needs a sophisticated holistic approach.

Keywords

• irrigation
• sustainable development
• agricultural water management
• integrated water management