The severe drought in Europe has uncovered ancient inscriptions written on the rocks of river beds warning that lack of water can lead to disease and death. “If you see me, cry”, can be read in one of them. They are known as the “hunger stones” because without water crops do not grow and there is no food for livestock. The Coordinator of Farmers and Ranchers Organizations (Coag) estimates that stress due to water and summer heat has reduced yields in rainfed crops by up to 80% in the country as a whole. In some cases, the owners have been forced to irrigate traditionally rainfed plants and trees in order to save part of the production. The only crops that have not been affected (at least until the recent restrictions on irrigation) have been irrigated crops, which account for 33% in Catalonia and 23% in Spain. In this sense, Francesc Reguant, president of the Commission for Agri-Food Economy of the Col·legi d’Economistes de Catalunya, sees irrigation as “a food security tool because it makes it possible to guarantee food production in times of drought like the current ones”.
“One of the consequences of the climate crisis is that temperatures rise and plants will be thirstier. On the other hand, the rainfall will also be more irregular, which means less water availability”, warns Joan Girona, researcher of the Efficient use of water in agriculture program of the Institute for Research and Technology in Agroalimentàries (IRTA). Before such climatic conditions, it is not surprising that the irrigated area is increasing. Specifically, in 2021 there was 6% more irrigated land than in 2011, both in Catalonia and in the country as a whole.
The irrigated area is increasing and, therefore, also the consumption of water for this purpose. In Catalonia, it is estimated that half of the water consumed is used for agricultural purposes, while in Spain as a whole the percentage is 80%. The figure varies considerably depending on the weight of this economic activity. Reguant urges to “invest in the modernization of irrigation systems for a more efficient use of water” in view of the lower future availability of this resource. However, the expert from the Col·legi d’Economista regrets that while in Spain as a whole gravity (or blanket) irrigation represents 22%, in Catalonia it continues to account for 55%. Gravity irrigation consists of flooding the fields, being the most inefficient of all types of irrigation because it requires large amounts of water.
Extreme heat and low rainfall conditions also harm livestock. Directly because the animals have greater water needs and indirectly because their food depends on agricultural production. “The availability of water worries the sector, both the fact of being able to have enough water and that it is of adequate quality,” says Maria Devant, head of the ruminant production program at IRTA. Devant states that the livestock sector is very aware of this problem. She serves as an example the case of Catalan beef producers, who are capable of producing a kilo of beef consuming two to three times less water than the world average, according to Irta data.
