Project properties

Title Irrigation and land use management to ensure resilience under drought and scarcity risks
Group Soil Physics and Land Management group
Project type thesis
Credits 24-39
Supervisor(s) Joao Pedro Nunes
Examiner(s) Coen Ritsema
Contact info joao.carvalhonunes@wur.nl
Begin date 2021/05/25
End date
Description Introduction

In southern Europe, the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture is highly dependent on adequate land and water management. Hydrological conditions of the soil and irrigation processes are thus key issues for agro-systems, and reservoirs also play an essential role in this necessary equilibrium. Increasing water uses and risks associated with climate change impacts represent added challenges and require adaptation measures on land use and irrigation strategies to ensure the resilience of agricultural systems.

For this purpose, new field monitoring technologies associated with eco-hydrological modelling represent an effective way to identify risks and optimize solutions to support agricultural management in drylands. This is the case in the southern region of Alentejo, in Portugal, where agro-systems are already under pressure of elevated scarcity and drought risk, thus enhancing the need for testing these new methodologies in field conditions.

Objective
Combine technological monitoring solutions with hydrological modelling to support improving land management and irrigation optimization in agro-systems under the risk of drought and scarcity.
Used skills
Requirements