PLEIADES: Participatory multi-Level EO-assisted tools for irrigation water management and agricultural Decision-Support

Project information
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 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). Therefore, a key feature will be a set of EO- and ICT-assisted integrated systems and services which are the fundament for integrated water resources management of river basins, irrigation schemes, and farms. It also is 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.
Project partners: 
UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA - LA MANCHA
JUNTA DE EXTREMADURA
CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS
MINISTERIO DA AGRICULTURA, DO DESENVOLVIMENTO RURAL E DAS PESCAS
ASSOCIACAO DE BENEFICIARIOS DO CAIA
UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA, FACULDADE DE CIENCIAS E TECNOLOGIA
INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE AGRONOMIA
ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI ECONOMIA AGRARIA
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI FEDERICO II
ARIESPACE SRL
INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT
PANEPISTIMIO THESSALIAS
NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION
INTEGRATED RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM) COMPANY LIMITED
TARIMSAL HIDROLOGI ARASTIRMA VE EGITIM MERKEZI
UNIVERSITE CADI AYYAD
INSTITUTO DE PROMOCION PARA LA GESTION DEL AGUA
INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DE SONORA
UNIVERSIDAD DE SONORA
COLEGIO DE POSTGRADUADOS
EMPRESA BRASILEIRA DE PESQUISA AGROPECUARIA - EMBRAPA
DOKUZ EYLUL UNIVERSITY
FUNDACAO DA FACULDADE DE CIENCIAS E TECNOLOGIA DA UNIVESIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Project dates: 
September 2006 to November 2009
Contact
Contact project
Contact organisation: 
UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA - LA MANCHA
Funding
Funding agency: 
European Commission - Sixth Framework Programme
Grant: 
k€2697000
Total budget: 
k€3221460