On Wednesday 16 November at the headquarters of the Regional Council in Milan, via Fabio Filzi 22, Sala Gonfalone, the conference “Technological innovation for a sustainable use of water resources in agriculture will be held. Lombardy – Israel: comparing experiences” will will be held.

The event will begin and will take place from 15:00 to 17:15 and it will be possible to follow it in live streaming by clicking here.

A round table will be held at 4.30 pm in which “Precision irrigation and supplementary water sources for a sustainable water balance: the Smarties project and pilot examples” will be presented. The project is curated by Marco Mancini, A. Guadagnini, C. Corbari, G.Ravazzani will be presented , A. Ceppi, N. Paciolla, M. Feki, G. Lombardi, (DICA Politecnico di Milano).

Abstarct:

Irrigation is one of the biggest user of water and plays a significant role in the hydrographic basin water balance. Although it is generally characterized by low efficiency, (in a way proportional to the availability of water in the irrigation areas) has high potentiality of improving its efficiency  due to the big gap  existing between modern technology and the largely diffused ancient traditional practices.

Climate changes and human pressure together with traditional irrigation practices have already enhanced and will enhance the conflicts among food energy and water, also in territories traditionally rich in water as the Lombardia.

The improving of water use efficiency in agriculture (the ratio between irrigation water needs and irrigation supply) is an immediate requirement of human society for sustaining the global food security, preserving quality and quantity of water resources, mitigating causes of poverties, migrations and conflicts among states, which highly depend on water balance.

The need of sustainable water use is a must and improving irrigation efficiency on large areas with modern technics is one of the most relevant action to do for  conflict reduction and for adaptation to climate changes.

Technological innovation and scientific research supporting precision irrigation and the management of  hydraulic structures  is a powerful tool in a sustainable use of water, although its social feeling and relative operational diffusion is more enhanced  in counties  characterized by water scarcity than in those  traditionally reach in water.

Among several technological innovations a relevant role has the combined use of  satellite remote sensing data, pixel wise hydrological water and energy balance equations,  modern continuous in time  hydrologic ground measures. This technology is a promising operative tool in precise irrigation over large areas  in our countries and also in emerging ones.

The talk shows the experiences in different areas  in Lombardy as the Chiese river basin and the Idro lake and in other agricultural areas characterized by drier climatic condition in presence of maize,  tomatoes, fruit threes and vineyards showing where and how sustainable and precision irrigation may be synergic.