Irrigation practice survey for crops and urban greenspaces at northwest and west Greece and south-east Italy

This study presents the results of a survey regarding irrigation practice (legislative framework, administration organization, delivery and distribution systems, applied techniques, application of new technologies on water irrigation management etc.) for the Region of Western Greece in Greece and the Region of Apulia in Italy. On site interviews (about 500 per region) were performed using special questionnaires that regarded water resources, irrigation systems design, installation and management. The interviews concerned a variety of agricultural and urban landscape irrigation systems, at end-user level. Good practices and problems regarding design, construction, maintenance and management were reported. Also, the low usage of sensors and other information technology tools for water management was registered. The supervisors of the systems welcomed this initiative and its results. The development of a practical surveying / auditing guide, approved by the relevant stakeholders, could be a very useful tool for continuous improvement of irrigation systems efficiency.