Exploring irrigation and water supply technologies for smallholder farmers in the Mediterranean region

Water security is a hot topic all over the world, due to global warming, climate change, natural calamities such as droughts and floods, overuse of water, and other factors. Water issues have been scientifically investigated from several perspectives, namely institutional, economic, social, environmental, managerial, and technological. However, the technological aspects of irrigation and water supply for smallholder farmers in the Mediterranean region have not been adequately addressed. This paper explores irrigation and water supply technologies for smallholder farmers in the selected Mediterranean countries (Egypt, Malta, Morocco, and Portugal). The methods of analysis are literature review, fieldwork, and observation. The literature survey reveals that Mediterranean countries share many common features in terms of climate, water and land resources, and development issues. Nevertheless, the selected countries in the Mediterranean region (Egypt, Malta, Morocco, and Portugal) differ in terms of type of crops, water management regulations, labor force availability, financial sustainability, and economic approaches. These remarks signal the need for applying a specific approach in selecting a technology for irrigation and water supply according to the regional context. Additionally, the financial and economic perspectives of the three key technologies (i.e., SLECI, desalination technology, and engineering constructed wetlands) require further analysis.This research carried out within the project MED-WET “Improving MEDiterranean irrigation and Water supply for smallholder farmers by providing Efficient, low-cost and nature-based Technologies and practices” (Project ID 1646) funded by Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) program.