Irrigation and Territory in the Region of Murcia Future Developments and Outlook

Abstract

The model of Murcia regional economic development cannot be understood without taking into
account the irrigated agriculture and its binding relationship with water availability. In this semiarid
territory, the need to ensure efficiency in the use of agricultural water has been a must that has
led to the gradual modernization of the systems of resource exploitation. However, the whole
demand for water in the Segura River Basin has increased to exceed the limits of the existing natural
resources, leading to a structural water deficit with an unsustainable trend, as is emphasized in
hydrological planning.
In this paper we analyze the shape and socio-economic and environmental consequences of
irrigation expanding in Murcia, and it shows that its main weakness is a structural shortage of
water. The paper concludes with the idea that, despite this severe restriction, the most productive
irrigation could absorb the higher costs of a response based on water from coastal desalination to
solve the hydrological deficit and, in turn, become a guarantee for the quality of the ecosystems,
food security and a good spatial organization within the sector.