A set of indicators to guide a WEFE transition in irrigated agriculture in the Duero Basin, Spain

The Duero basin is the largest watershed in the Iberian Peninsula, with a surface of 98.073 km² distributed in Spain and Portugal. The 80% of the surface area is in Spain (78.891 km²), where plays an important role for the country’s energy and food production. However, in the region, droughts are frequent and have increased in the last years stressing water resources and creating competition and friction among water users. Likewise, the energy demand for irrigation has also increased as along with energy and fertilizer prices. The uncertainty on future water resources is critical and it must be managed. Within this context, this paper will show the analysis of the current situation from a Water, Energy, Food and Ecosystems (WEFE) perspective and how it has developed several WEFE indicators and their inter-relations. The results may be used to analyze the effect of future scenarios, which foresee a decrease between 8 to 10% in water availability in the basin by 2039; it is also foreseen an increment in the prices of energy, fertilizers and production inputs. These indicators and their illustrations will help the stakeholders in their decision making and a WEFE-Nexus transition actions to overcome challenges in a resilient and sustainable way.

The work has identified and quantified a set of 12 indicators for the present conditions at two different spatial scales: two Duero sub-basins (Cega-Eresma-Adaja, and Bajo Duero) and three irrigation districts (Río-Adaja, Villalar de los Comuneros and “El Carracillo), each one has different source of water (surface, subsurface and mix). Three indicators for water, two for energy, two for food production and five for ecosystems were proposed and quantified by using information obtained by modelling and literature review. The results were compared both at different scales and in different situations.