This DS is one of the most important cotton production areas in the EU, with over 7,000 cotton farmers in a total cultivated area of 280,000 ha. Water for irrigation is collected in an artificial lake (Lake Plastiras) initially established for electrical power generation, and then transferred through an 860 km network of irrigation channels, with additional pressurized pipelines and sensor-controlled points to monitor water circulation and consumption.

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Socio-economic issues

The area faces challenges as agricultural and tourist activities require substantial freshwater resources, and cotton cultivation in particular demands significant water and energy inputs for irrigation. The tourism industry and environmental considerations call for sufficient water levels in the lake, while the hydroelectric plant requires a continuous water supply for national security. Conflicting priorities lead to ongoing debates among farmers, tourism entrepreneurs, and the national electric company. Moreover, the dominant role of cotton and other arable crops in the local economy, which support over 9,000 jobs in a region with high unemployment rates, highlights the need to improve water-use efficiency and provide incentives for other sectors to thrive alongside cotton production. A collapse of agricultural production may exacerbate migration towards big cities, thereby making the preservation of a sustainable balance even more critical for the region's future.

WEFE resource status

Cotton production in the area is characterised by the overuse of limited water resources with high energy costs. Furthermore, another negative outcome of the intensity of cultivation is nitrate pollution and biodiversity degradation.

WEFE Nexus-based adaptation solutions

A precision-farming decision support tool focused on irrigation.

The tool combines:

the installation of innovative sensors to collect data on water needs in different sections of the arable land, and
the use of drones to monitor crops and detect their water needs. Collected data are automatically transferred to central software, to be used by public and private extension services as a support tool for advising farmers on irrigation. Different operational adaptation solutions will be co-designed, co-deployed and assessed around this initiative, by focusing on reducing the water consumption of the different competing sectors (agriculture vs tourism) as well as on the creation of new business models in order to support local communities, reduce unemployment and increase the resilience of marginalized communities (Romani people working in agriculture and the industrial sector).

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BEYOND DIONYSUS

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Greece - Case Study

Socio-economic issues

CONTACT INFO

Project coordinator

Project manager

Communications & Dissemination Lead

BEYOND DIONYSUS

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