Participatory multi-Level EO-assisted tools for Irrigation water management and Agricultural Decision-Support (PLEIADES)

This project addresses the efficient and sustainable use of water for food production in water-scarce environments. It aims at improving the technical, environmental and socio-economic performance of irrigation schemes by means of a range of measures. Major technical innovation is made possible by the comprehensive space-time coverage of Earth observation (EO) data and the interactive networking/connecting capabilities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). A key feature will be a set of EO- and ICT-assisted integrated systems and services which will be the foundation for integrated water resources management of river basins, irrigation schemes, and farms. This set of systems and services will also be the basis for technical and social learning that enables farmers to act responsibly by fine-tuning their on-farm irrigation management in accordance with the river-basin water status and management decisions. We consider the economic, environmental, technical, social, and political dimensions and pursue a synergy of leading-edge technological innovation (that facilitates active participation) with participatory approaches (that require distributed spatial information and networking technology). A set of pilot Case Studies has been selected to represent a sample of the wide range of conditions found in the European and Southern Mediterranean and in Latin America, covering Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. We will benchmark the technical, environmental, and economic performance of irrigation systems in our pilot river-basins, conduct trial campaigns with EO- and ICT-assisted products in a participatory evaluation with stakeholders, and assess the effect of the new tools on water productivity and performance of our pilot irrigation systems.