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Dr. Irene Blanco-Gutierrez
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

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0 Climate Change Adaptation
0 Climate Change Impacts
0 Food
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Research article
Published: 07 July 2021 in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
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Background In the European Union proteins for food are largely animal-based consisting of meat and dairy products. Almost all soy but also a larger part of pulses and cereals consumed in the European Union are used for animal nutrition. While livestock is an important source of proteins, it also creates substantial environmental impacts. The food and feed system is closely linked to the planetary and health boundaries and a transformation to healthy diets will require substantial dietary shifts towards healthy foods, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Results Extrudated vegetable meat alternatives consisting of protein combined with amaranth or buckwheat flour and a vegetable milk alternative made from lentil proteins were shown to have the potential to generate significantly less environmental impacts than their animal-based counterparts in most of the environmental indicators examined, taking into account both functional units (mass and protein content). The underlying field-to-fork LCA models include several variants for both plant and animal foods. The optimised plant-based foods show a clear potential for improvement in the environmental footprints. Conclusions Development of higher processed and therefore higher performing products is crucial for appealing to potential user groups beyond dedicated vegetarians and vegans and ultimately achieving market expansion. The Protein2Food project showed that prototypes made from Europe-grown legumes and pseudo-cereals are a valuable source for high-quality protein foods and despite being substantially processed they could help reduce the environmental impact of food consumption.

ACS Style

Andreas Detzel; Martina Krüger; Mirjam Busch; Irene Blanco‐Gutiérrez; Consuelo Varela; Rhys Manners; Jürgen Bez; Emanuele Zannini. Life cycle assessment of animal‐based foods and plant‐based protein‐rich alternatives: an environmental perspective. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Andreas Detzel, Martina Krüger, Mirjam Busch, Irene Blanco‐Gutiérrez, Consuelo Varela, Rhys Manners, Jürgen Bez, Emanuele Zannini. Life cycle assessment of animal‐based foods and plant‐based protein‐rich alternatives: an environmental perspective. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andreas Detzel; Martina Krüger; Mirjam Busch; Irene Blanco‐Gutiérrez; Consuelo Varela; Rhys Manners; Jürgen Bez; Emanuele Zannini. 2021. "Life cycle assessment of animal‐based foods and plant‐based protein‐rich alternatives: an environmental perspective." Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture , no. : 1.

Project deliverable
Published: 31 May 2021
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This report (Deliverable D1.1) is dedicated to presenting the current state of water reuse in Spain and selected case studies. For reasons of practicability, D1.1 consists of two separate reports: - D1.1-Part I: Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain - D1.1-Part II: Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies. The following sections provide the documentation of Deliverable D1.1-Part I.

ACS Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Estevez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Antonio Bolinches, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Paloma Estevez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Estevez. 2021. "Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I." , no. : 1.

Project deliverable
Published: 31 May 2021
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This report is dedicated to presenting the current state of water reuse in selected case studies in Spain. It corresponds with D1.1-Part II ‘Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies’ and D3.1 ‘Model database’. The first part of D1.1 ‘Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain’ (D1.1-Part I) is presented in a separate report. This report is based on information compiled from various public databases, mainly the different River Basin Authorities and the Spanish Ministry of Environment (currently called ‘Ministry for the Ecological Transtition and the Demographic challenge), and fieldworks carried out in the context of the RECLAMO Project. In March 2021, the UPM research team held a virtual meeting with representatives of the Irrigation Community of Campo de Cartagena to collect information and exchange ideas about water reuse in the region. Later, in April 2021, the UPM research team visited the Irrigation Community ‘Los Auriles’ (https://ceigram.upm.es/noticia/visita-de-investigadores-del-ceigram-a-los-auriles-en-el- marco-del-proyecto-reclamo/) and collected valuable information for modeling purposes.

ACS Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Antonio Bolinches, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. 2021. "Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid." , no. : 1.

Project deliverable
Published: 31 May 2021
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This report is dedicated to presenting the current state of water reuse in selected case studies in Spain. It corresponds with D1.1-Part II ‘Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies’ and D3.1 ‘Model database’. The first part of D1.1 ‘Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain’ (D1.1-Part I) is presented in a separate report. This report is based on information compiled from various public databases, mainly the different River Basin Authorities and the Spanish Ministry of Environment (currently called ‘Ministry for the Ecological Transtition and the Demographic challenge), and fieldworks carried out in the context of the RECLAMO Project. In March 2021, the UPM research team held a virtual meeting with representatives of the Irrigation Community of Campo de Cartagena to collect information and exchange ideas about water reuse in the region. Later, in April 2021, the UPM research team visited the Irrigation Community ‘Los Auriles’ (https://ceigram.upm.es/noticia/visita-de-investigadores-del-ceigram-a-los-auriles-en-el- marco-del-proyecto-reclamo/) and collected valuable information for modeling purposes.

ACS Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse CASE STUDIES (D1.1&D3.1).pdf. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Antonio Bolinches, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse CASE STUDIES (D1.1&D3.1).pdf. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. 2021. "Current state of reclaimed water reuse CASE STUDIES (D1.1&D3.1).pdf." , no. : 1.

Project deliverable
Published: 31 May 2021
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This report (Deliverable D1.1) is dedicated to presenting the current state of water reuse in Spain and selected case studies. For reasons of practicability, D1.1 consists of two separate reports: - D1.1-Part I: Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain - D1.1-Part II: Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies. The following sections provide the documentation of Deliverable D1.1-Part I.

ACS Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Esteve. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I & D3.1. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Antonio Bolinches, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Paloma Esteve. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I & D3.1. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Esteve. 2021. "Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I & D3.1. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid." , no. : 1.

Project deliverable
Published: 31 May 2021
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This report is dedicated to presenting the current state of water reuse in selected case studies in Spain. It corresponds with D1.1-Part II ‘Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies’ and D3.1 ‘Model database’. The first part of D1.1 ‘Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain’ (D1.1-Part I) is presented in a separate report. This report is based on information compiled from various public databases, mainly the different River Basin Authorities and the Spanish Ministry of Environment (currently called ‘Ministry for the Ecological Transtition and the Demographic challenge), and fieldworks carried out in the context of the RECLAMO Project. In March 2021, the UPM research team held a virtual meeting with representatives of the Irrigation Community of Campo de Cartagena to collect information and exchange ideas about water reuse in the region. Later, in April 2021, the UPM research team visited the Irrigation Community ‘Los Auriles’ (https://ceigram.upm.es/noticia/visita-de-investigadores-del-ceigram-a-los-auriles-en-el- marco-del-proyecto-reclamo/) and collected valuable information for modeling purposes.

ACS Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Antonio Bolinches, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. 2021. "Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid." , no. : 1.

Project deliverable
Published: 31 May 2021
Reads 0
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This report is dedicated to presenting the current state of water reuse in selected case studies in Spain. It corresponds with D1.1-Part II ‘Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies’ and D3.1 ‘Model database’. The first part of D1.1 ‘Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain’ (D1.1-Part I) is presented in a separate report. This report is based on information compiled from various public databases, mainly the different River Basin Authorities and the Spanish Ministry of Environment (currently called ‘Ministry for the Ecological Transtition and the Demographic challenge), and fieldworks carried out in the context of the RECLAMO Project. In March 2021, the UPM research team held a virtual meeting with representatives of the Irrigation Community of Campo de Cartagena to collect information and exchange ideas about water reuse in the region. Later, in April 2021, the UPM research team visited the Irrigation Community ‘Los Auriles’ (https://ceigram.upm.es/noticia/visita-de-investigadores-del-ceigram-a-los-auriles-en-el- marco-del-proyecto-reclamo/) and collected valuable information for modeling purposes.

ACS Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Antonio Bolinches, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez. 2021. "Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies in Spain. Report. RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid." , no. : 1.

Project deliverable
Published: 31 May 2021
Reads 0
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This report (Deliverable D1.1) is dedicated to presenting the current state of water reuse in Spain and selected case studies. For reasons of practicability, D1.1 consists of two separate reports: - D1.1-Part I: Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain - D1.1-Part II: Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies. The following sections provide the documentation of Deliverable D1.1-Part I.

ACS Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Esteve. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I . RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Antonio Bolinches, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Paloma Esteve. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I . RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Esteve. 2021. "Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I . RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid." , no. : 1.

Project deliverable
Published: 31 May 2021
Reads 0
Downloads 0

This report (Deliverable D1.1) is dedicated to presenting the current state of water reuse in Spain and selected case studies. For reasons of practicability, D1.1 consists of two separate reports: - D1.1-Part I: Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain - D1.1-Part II: Baseline report on the current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in selected case studies. The following sections provide the documentation of Deliverable D1.1-Part I.

ACS Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Esteve. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I . RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Antonio Bolinches, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Paloma Esteve. Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I . RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Antonio Bolinches; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Esteve. 2021. "Current state of reclaimed water reuse for irrigation in Spain. Report D1.1-Part I . RECLAMO project. UPM, Madrid." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 29 October 2020 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Global diets have transitioned in recent decades with animal and processed products increasing. Promoting a reversal in these trends towards plant-based diets could reduce the environmental impacts of food systems and reduce the prevalence of non-communicable diseases and malnutrition. In Spain, a reference point for the Mediterranean diet (predominantly plant-source based), plant-based alternatives to traditional animal-based products are receiving increased attention. However, limited focus has been given to the opinions of stakeholder groups on the potential of these novel products. We evaluate the opinions of stakeholders within the Spanish agri-food sector, using multicriteria and SWOT analyses, on traditional and novel food products. Stakeholders involved in the supply chain of food products (producers, processors, and distributors) were critical of novel plant-based foods, highlighting problems with their taste, processing technology, and high prices. These results contrast with the perspectives of policymakers, researchers, environmental NGOs, and consumers who see novel products more positively - healthier, more sustainable, and highly profitable. These results illustrate the more traditional mindset seen in Spanish production systems, contrasting with the rapidly shifting tastes and demands of consumers and the potential legislative orientation of policymakers. This study calls for improved understanding and collaboration between stakeholders to better manage complex choices that affect the future of food systems during their needed transformation.

ACS Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Rhys Manners. Evaluating Animal-Based Foods and Plant-Based Alternatives Using Multi-Criteria and SWOT Analyses. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 7969 .

AMA Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Consuelo Varela-Ortega, Rhys Manners. Evaluating Animal-Based Foods and Plant-Based Alternatives Using Multi-Criteria and SWOT Analyses. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (21):7969.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Rhys Manners. 2020. "Evaluating Animal-Based Foods and Plant-Based Alternatives Using Multi-Criteria and SWOT Analyses." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 21: 7969.

Journal article
Published: 24 March 2020 in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
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The Amazon basin is the world's largest rainforest and the most biologically diverse place on Earth. Despite the critical importance of this region, Amazon forests continue inexorably to be degraded and deforested for various reasons, mainly a consequence of agricultural expansion. The development of novel policy strategies that provide balanced solutions, associating economic growth with environmental protection, is still challenging, largely because the perspective of those most affected – local stakeholders – is often ignored. Participatory fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) was implemented to examine stakeholder perceptions towards the sustainable development of two agricultural-forest frontier areas in the Bolivian and Brazilian Amazon. A series of development scenarios were explored and applied to stakeholder-derived FCM, with climate change also analysed. Stakeholders in both regions perceived landscapes of socio-economic impoverishment and environmental degradation driven by governmental and institutional deficiencies. Under such abject conditions, governance and well-integrated social and technological strategies offered socio-economic development, environmental conservation, and resilience to climatic changes. The results suggest there are benefits of a new type of thinking for development strategies in the Amazon basin and that continued application of traditional development policies reduces the resilience of the Amazon to climate change, whilst limiting socio-economic development and environmental conservation.

ACS Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Rhys Manners; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Ana M. Tarquis; Lucieta G. Martorano; Marisol Toledo. Examining the sustainability and development challenge in agricultural-forest frontiers of the Amazon Basin through the eyes of locals. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 2020, 20, 797 -813.

AMA Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Rhys Manners, Consuelo Varela-Ortega, Ana M. Tarquis, Lucieta G. Martorano, Marisol Toledo. Examining the sustainability and development challenge in agricultural-forest frontiers of the Amazon Basin through the eyes of locals. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. 2020; 20 (3):797-813.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Rhys Manners; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Ana M. Tarquis; Lucieta G. Martorano; Marisol Toledo. 2020. "Examining the sustainability and development challenge in agricultural-forest frontiers of the Amazon Basin through the eyes of locals." Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 20, no. 3: 797-813.

Journal article
Published: 04 March 2020 in Sustainability
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Global and European diets have shifted towards greater consumption of animal proteins. Recent studies urge reversals of these trends and call for a rapid transition towards adoption of more plant-based diets. This paper explored mechanisms to increase the production and consumption of plant-proteins in Europe by 2030, using participatory backcasting. We identified pathways to the future (strategies), as well as interim milestones, barriers, opportunities and actions, with key European stakeholders in the agri-food chain. Results show that four strategies could be implemented to achieve the desired future: increased research and development, enriched consumer education and awareness, improved and connected supply and value chains and public policy supports. Actions needed to reach milestones were required immediately, reinforcing the need for urgent actions to tackle the protein challenge. This study concretely detailed how idealized dietary futures can be achieved in a real-world context. It can support EU protein transition by informing policy makers and the broader public on potential ways to move towards a more sustainable plant-based future. The outputs of this analysis have the potential to be combined with dietary scenarios to develop more temporally explicit models of future dietary changes and how to reach them.

ACS Style

Rhys Manners; Irene Blanco-Gutierrez; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Ana M. Tarquis. Transitioning European Protein-Rich Food Consumption and Production Towards More Sustainable Patterns— Strategies and Policy Suggestions. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1 .

AMA Style

Rhys Manners, Irene Blanco-Gutierrez, Consuelo Varela-Ortega, Ana M. Tarquis. Transitioning European Protein-Rich Food Consumption and Production Towards More Sustainable Patterns— Strategies and Policy Suggestions. Sustainability. 2020; 12 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rhys Manners; Irene Blanco-Gutierrez; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Ana M. Tarquis. 2020. "Transitioning European Protein-Rich Food Consumption and Production Towards More Sustainable Patterns— Strategies and Policy Suggestions." Sustainability 12, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2015 in Ecological Economics
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Recent research has demonstrated the multidimensional and multi-scalar nature of climate change, evidencing the need to develop integrated tools for the analysis of impacts and adaptation. This research presents a hydro-economic model of the Middle-Guadiana basin, Spain, to assess potential effects of climate change on irrigated agriculture and options for adaptation. It combines a farm-based economic optimisation model with the hydrologic model WEAP, and represents the socio-economic, agronomic and hydrologic systems in a spatially-explicit manner covering all dimensions and scales relevant to climate change. Simulated scenarios include a severe A2 climate change scenario up to 2070, two policy-based adaptation scenarios, and autonomous adaptation. Results show that climate change may impact severely irrigation systems reducing water availability and crop yields, and increasing irrigation water requirements. The risk faced by farmers is determined by technology and water use efficiency but also by spatial location and decisions made in neighbouring irrigation areas. The analysis of adaptation strategies underscores the role of current EU water policy in facilitating adaptation. Overall, the applied framework proved to be a useful tool for supporting water and climate change policy-making. It contributes to improve understanding about potential impacts of climate change, multi-scale vulnerability and the scope for adaptation.

ACS Style

Paloma Esteve; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Thomas E. Downing. A hydro-economic model for the assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation in irrigated agriculture. Ecological Economics 2015, 120, 49 -58.

AMA Style

Paloma Esteve, Consuelo Varela-Ortega, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Thomas E. Downing. A hydro-economic model for the assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation in irrigated agriculture. Ecological Economics. 2015; 120 ():49-58.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Paloma Esteve; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Thomas E. Downing. 2015. "A hydro-economic model for the assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation in irrigated agriculture." Ecological Economics 120, no. : 49-58.

Journal article
Published: 02 December 2014 in Regional Environmental Change
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Climate change is already affecting many natural systems and human environments worldwide, like the semiarid Guadiana Basin in Spain. This paper illustrates a systematic analysis of climate change adaptation in the Guadiana irrigation farming region. The study applies a solution-oriented diagnostic framework structured along a series of sequential analytical steps. An initial stage integrates economic and hydrologic modeling to evaluate the effects of climate change on the agriculture and water sectors. Next, adaptation measures are identified and prioritized through a stakeholder-based multi-criteria analysis. Finally, a social network analysis identifies key actors and their relationships in climate change adaptation. The study shows that under a severe climate change scenario, water availability could be substantially decreased and drought occurrence will augment. In consequence, farmers will adapt their crops to a lesser amount of water and income gains will diminish, particularly for smallholder farms. Among the various adaptation measures considered, those related to private farming (new crop varieties and modern irrigation technologies) are ranked highest, whereas public-funded hard measures (reservoirs) are lowest and public soft measures (insurance) are ranked middle. In addition, stakeholders highlighted that the most relevant criteria for selecting adaptation plans are environmental protection, financial feasibility and employment creation. Nonetheless, the social network analysis evidenced the need to strengthen the links among the different stakeholder groups to facilitate the implementation of adaptation processes. In sum, the diagnostic framework applied in this research can be considered a valuable tool for guiding and supporting decision making in climate change adaptation and communicating scientific results.

ACS Style

Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Esteve; Sukaina Bharwani; Stefan Fronzek; Thomas E. Downing. How can irrigated agriculture adapt to climate change? Insights from the Guadiana Basin in Spain. Regional Environmental Change 2014, 16, 59 -70.

AMA Style

Consuelo Varela-Ortega, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Paloma Esteve, Sukaina Bharwani, Stefan Fronzek, Thomas E. Downing. How can irrigated agriculture adapt to climate change? Insights from the Guadiana Basin in Spain. Regional Environmental Change. 2014; 16 (1):59-70.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Paloma Esteve; Sukaina Bharwani; Stefan Fronzek; Thomas E. Downing. 2014. "How can irrigated agriculture adapt to climate change? Insights from the Guadiana Basin in Spain." Regional Environmental Change 16, no. 1: 59-70.

Journal article
Published: 07 April 2014 in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences
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Rising demand for food, fiber, and biofuels drives expanding irrigation withdrawals from surface water and groundwater. Irrigation efficiency and water savings have become watchwords in response to climate-induced hydrological variability, increasing freshwater demand for other uses including ecosystem water needs, and low economic productivity of irrigation compared to most other uses. We identify three classes of unintended consequences, presented here as paradoxes. Ever-tighter cycling of water has been shown to increase resource use, an example of the efficiency paradox. In the absence of effective policy to constrain irrigated-area expansion using "saved water", efficiency can aggravate scarcity, deteriorate resource quality, and impair river basin resilience through loss of flexibility and redundancy. Water scarcity and salinity effects in the lower reaches of basins (symptomatic of the scale paradox) may partly be offset over the short-term through groundwater pumping or increasing surface water storage capacity. However, declining ecological flows and increasing salinity have important implications for riparian and estuarine ecosystems and for non-irrigation human uses of water including urban supply and energy generation, examples of the sectoral paradox. This paper briefly considers three regional contexts with broadly similar climatic and water-resource conditions – central Chile, southwestern US, and south-central Spain – where irrigation efficiency directly influences basin resilience. The comparison leads to more generic insights on water policy in relation to irrigation efficiency and emerging or overdue needs for environmental protection.

ACS Style

C. A. Scott; S. Vicuña; I. Blanco-Gutiérrez; F. Meza; C. Varela-Ortega. Irrigation efficiency and water-policy implications for river basin resilience. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 2014, 18, 1339 -1348.

AMA Style

C. A. Scott, S. Vicuña, I. Blanco-Gutiérrez, F. Meza, C. Varela-Ortega. Irrigation efficiency and water-policy implications for river basin resilience. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 2014; 18 (4):1339-1348.

Chicago/Turabian Style

C. A. Scott; S. Vicuña; I. Blanco-Gutiérrez; F. Meza; C. Varela-Ortega. 2014. "Irrigation efficiency and water-policy implications for river basin resilience." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 18, no. 4: 1339-1348.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2013 in Journal of Environmental Management
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Sustaining irrigated agriculture to meet food production needs while maintaining aquatic ecosystems is at the heart of many policy debates in various parts of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. Researchers and practitioners are increasingly calling for integrated approaches, and policy-makers are progressively supporting the inclusion of ecological and social aspects in water management programs. This paper contributes to this policy debate by providing an integrated economic-hydrologic modeling framework that captures the socio-economic and environmental effects of various policy initiatives and climate variability. This modeling integration includes a risk-based economic optimization model and a hydrologic water management simulation model that have been specified for the Middle Guadiana basin, a vulnerable drought-prone agro-ecological area with highly regulated river systems in southwest Spain. Namely, two key water policy interventions were investigated: the implementation of minimum environmental flows (supported by the European Water Framework Directive, EU WFD), and a reduction in the legal amount of water delivered for irrigation (planned measure included in the new Guadiana River Basin Management Plan, GRBMP, still under discussion). Results indicate that current patterns of excessive water use for irrigation in the basin may put environmental flow demands at risk, jeopardizing the WFD's goal of restoring the 'good ecological status' of water bodies by 2015. Conflicts between environmental and agricultural water uses will be stressed during prolonged dry episodes, and particularly in summer low-flow periods, when there is an important increase of crop irrigation water requirements. Securing minimum stream flows would entail a substantial reduction in irrigation water use for rice cultivation, which might affect the profitability and economic viability of small rice-growing farms located upstream in the river. The new GRBMP could contribute to balance competing water demands in the basin and to increase economic water productivity, but might not be sufficient to ensure the provision of environmental flows as required by the WFD. A thoroughly revision of the basin's water use concession system for irrigation seems to be needed in order to bring the GRBMP in line with the WFD objectives. Furthermore, the study illustrates that social, economic, institutional, and technological factors, in addition to bio-physical conditions, are important issues to be considered for designing and developing water management strategies. The research initiative presented in this paper demonstrates that hydro-economic models can explicitly integrate all these issues, constituting a valuable tool that could assist policy makers for implementing sustainable irrigation policies.

ACS Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; David R. Purkey. Integrated assessment of policy interventions for promoting sustainable irrigation in semi-arid environments: A hydro-economic modeling approach. Journal of Environmental Management 2013, 128, 144 -160.

AMA Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Consuelo Varela-Ortega, David R. Purkey. Integrated assessment of policy interventions for promoting sustainable irrigation in semi-arid environments: A hydro-economic modeling approach. Journal of Environmental Management. 2013; 128 ():144-160.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; David R. Purkey. 2013. "Integrated assessment of policy interventions for promoting sustainable irrigation in semi-arid environments: A hydro-economic modeling approach." Journal of Environmental Management 128, no. : 144-160.

Journal article
Published: 31 May 2011 in Global Environmental Change
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In arid countries worldwide, social conflicts between irrigation-based human development and the conservation of aquatic ecosystems are widespread and attract many public debates. This research focuses on the analysis of water and agricultural policies aimed at conserving groundwater resources and maintaining rural livelihoods in a basin in Spain's central arid region. Intensive groundwater mining for irrigation has caused overexploitation of the basin's large aquifer, the degradation of reputed wetlands and has given rise to notable social conflicts over the years. With the aim of tackling the multifaceted socio-ecological interactions of complex water systems, the methodology used in this study consists in a novel integration into a common platform of an economic optimization model and a hydrology model WEAP (Water Evaluation And Planning system). This robust tool is used to analyze the spatial and temporal effects of different water and agricultural policies under different climate scenarios. It permits the prediction of different climate and policy outcomes across farm types (water stress impacts and adaptation), at basin's level (aquifer recovery), and along the policies’ implementation horizon (short and long run). Results show that the region's current quota-based water policies may contribute to reduce water consumption in the farms but will not be able to recover the aquifer and will inflict income losses to the rural communities. This situation would worsen in case of drought. Economies of scale and technology are evidenced as larger farms with cropping diversification and those equipped with modern irrigation will better adapt to water stress conditions. However, the long-term sustainability of the aquifer and the maintenance of rural livelihoods will be attained only if additional policy measures are put in place such as the control of illegal abstractions and the establishing of a water bank. Within the policy domain, the research contributes to the new sustainable development strategy of the EU by concluding that, in water-scarce regions, effective integration of water and agricultural policies is essential for achieving the water protection objectives of the EU policies. Therefore, the design and enforcement of well-balanced region-specific polices is a major task faced by policy makers for achieving successful water management that will ensure nature protection and human development at tolerable social costs. From a methodological perspective, this research initiative contributes to better address hydrological questions as well as economic and social issues in complex water and human systems. Its integrated vision provides a valuable illustration to inform water policy and management decisions within contexts of water-related conflicts worldwide.

ACS Style

Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Christopher H. Swartz; Thomas E. Downing. Balancing groundwater conservation and rural livelihoods under water and climate uncertainties: An integrated hydro-economic modeling framework. Global Environmental Change 2011, 21, 604 -619.

AMA Style

Consuelo Varela-Ortega, Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Christopher H. Swartz, Thomas E. Downing. Balancing groundwater conservation and rural livelihoods under water and climate uncertainties: An integrated hydro-economic modeling framework. Global Environmental Change. 2011; 21 (2):604-619.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Christopher H. Swartz; Thomas E. Downing. 2011. "Balancing groundwater conservation and rural livelihoods under water and climate uncertainties: An integrated hydro-economic modeling framework." Global Environmental Change 21, no. 2: 604-619.

Journal article
Published: 28 February 2011 in Agricultural Water Management
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Groundwater in Spain, as in other arid and semiarid countries worldwide, has been widely used in the expansion of irrigated agriculture. In the Spanish Mancha Occidental aquifer, the excessive, and sometimes illegal, water abstraction for irrigation has promoted outstanding socioeconomic development in the area, but it has also resulted in exploitation of the aquifer and degradation of valuable wetlands. Water policies implemented in the region have not yet managed to restore the aquifer and face strong social opposition. This paper uses a multi-scale modeling approach to explore the environmental and socio-economic impacts of alternative water conservation measures at the farm and basin levels. It also analyzes their comparative cost-effectiveness to help policy makers identify the least costly policy option for achieving the goal of the Mancha Occidental aquifer's sustainability. To conduct this analysis, a Mathematical Programming Model has been developed to simulate: the closing-up and taxed-legalization of unlicensed wells, uniform volumetric and block-rate water prices, water quotas, and water markets. Aggregate results show that net social costs are not substantially different across policy option, so none of the considered policy options will be clearly more cost-effective than the others. However, there are significant differences between private and public costs (at the farm and sub-basin levels), which will be critical for determining the application in practice of these policies. Results show that controlling illegal water mining (through the legalization of unlicensed wells) is necessary, but is not sufficient to recover the aquifer. Rather, effective water management in this area will require the implementation of other water management policies as well. Among them, uniform volumetric and block-rate water pricing policies will entail the lowest net social cost, but will produce important income losses in the smallest and most water-intensive farms, which might put at risk the viability of these farms and the social acceptance of the policies. Further investigations on social costs, policy enforcement capacity and public participation in water management are highly recommende

ACS Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Guillermo Flichman. Cost-effectiveness of groundwater conservation measures: A multi-level analysis with policy implications. Agricultural Water Management 2011, 98, 639 -652.

AMA Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez, Consuelo Varela-Ortega, Guillermo Flichman. Cost-effectiveness of groundwater conservation measures: A multi-level analysis with policy implications. Agricultural Water Management. 2011; 98 (4):639-652.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Irene Blanco-Gutiérrez; Consuelo Varela-Ortega; Guillermo Flichman. 2011. "Cost-effectiveness of groundwater conservation measures: A multi-level analysis with policy implications." Agricultural Water Management 98, no. 4: 639-652.