″Alqueva was once responsible for Portugal having gone from being an importer to a net exporter of olive oil″
Is irrigation the solution for agriculture in Southern European countries, with zero environmental risks, or does this ideal scenario not exist?
Our climate meter has two fundamental characteristics – great irregularity (intra and interannual) and in the period of higher temperatures there is no period. When plants are sunny and at the optimal temperature for development, nature does not provide the water they need. Living with these conditions and we have to set an example in most parts of the territory, adapting production systems to this reality – for crops that favor autumn/winter or improve the characteristics of the soil (a soil rich in organic matter is a huge reservoir of water and fertility and much remains to be done on this topic). But a irrigated hectare in Portugal can produce 10 or 20 times more wealth than rainfed because it produces much more in the same crops and enables other increases in added value, creates more employment and settles the population in rural areas. In an agricultural holding, this productive capacity of irrigation can mean the difference between ruin and survival, even using only 10% of the surface. Natural and ecological activities together with agricultural crops, preserving important habitats of non-cultural heritage, locally promoting all activities to energy from renewable sources and valorization of all agricultural and agro-industrial residues for soil fertility.
Did the Alqueva dam bring a real revolution to Alentejo agriculture?
No doubt! It is a case of success in the speed of accession to irrigation and in the installation of innovative projects with business models and with an escalation never seen before in the country. Alqueva has already been responsible, for example, for the fact that the country has changed from an importer to a net exporter of olive oil, to follow the same path and there is potential for many other “revolutions” with other cultures. Alqueva water capacity still having problems with the capacity of several resources for its lower hydraulic regularity, chronic supply resources. The irrigation schemes of Alto Sado, Odivelas, Alto Sado, connected to the great mother-water of Alagoas, managed to function without today of the past life.
So many years to complete. Technical difficulties or lack of will, or that delayed the completion of the Alqueva dam policy?
There were no delays! In fact, no (re)start of works in 1995, before the completion of the entire project in 2025, which happened in 2016, almost a decade ahead of schedule. It is important to remember that Alqueva is much more than a dam. The project includes another 69 dams and regulating reservoirs, 45 large pumping stations, a network of channels and, mainly, large buried pipelines with a length of 2000 km. It was necessary, that many difficulties were executed in some difficulties, as they were delayed in all the great works, but they were difficult in all the environmental and patrimonial problems that were executed with the civil protection. It took, perhaps, a long time from the first conception of the project, in the 50’s, to unequivocally resume its construction. But it took this long time for the project to modernize and incorporate the technologies of the 21st century, which became its success.
are the main crops that benefit from irrigation in the dam’s area of influence. Which ones?
Most of the benefited area is now occupied by Olival, Amendoal, Vinha and Milho. There are, however, numerous dimensions of different cultures that are, even so, numerous that occupy few varieties of hectares, they are relative.
Are there crops that are not advisable even when the irrigation has plenty of water or should there be no taboos about what to plant?
There are no good or bad cultures – there are only good and bad cultural practices! The goodness of a culture in a given place must be measured by its ability to generate value on a sustained basis. There are agricultural crops in fully authorized areas and easy access to authorized licenses for wine and plants in Portugal. I believe that there should be no taboos on any tariffs, but rather that the efficient use of crop water is inevitable, that the right to be used depending on the species of water, availability and variable () of water. in order to provide stability and predictability of consumption over time.
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