IDEWA (Irrigation and Drainage monitoring by remote sensing for Ecosystems and Water resources management) is an European project that aims to bridge the gap between potential and actual irrigation performance in the Mediterranean.
IDEWA proposes the development of innovative irrigation management tools based on readily available multi-sensor remote sensing data that will, for the first time, allow monitoring of the water use and drainage at field and basin scales, and their impact on downstream ecosystems. By working across two scales (field and basin), the project addresses the mismatch between farmers and associations irrigation performances.
It will address sustainable irrigation by explicitly considering crop water used (actual evapotranspiration) and drainage (which is often disregarded) in a water accounting system that will also address the impact of water drainage in river ecosystems.
The project will be implemented in two Mediterranean representative case and well-monitored study areas in the Ebro (Spain) and Tensift (Morocco) basins.
The IDEWA project (ANR-19-P026-003) is part of the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) programme supported by the European Union.
