Practice question
How much water enters the farm, how much is applied to the crop, how much is reused, and where are water and nutrients lost? Which measurements does a grower need to make a better irrigation decision?
Local relevance
In Souss-Massa, horticulture depends on scarce groundwater, transferred water and increasingly desalinated water. Water source, salinity, energy cost, infrastructure and crop together determine which approach makes sense. Fertigation — supplying nutrients through the irrigation water — links water management directly to crop nutrition, so EC (salt concentration) and pH need to be followed alongside volumes.
Possible interventions
- Simple water balance per greenhouse: intake, irrigation dose, drainage and reuse
- Irrigation scheduling based on observation of drainage percentage, EC and pH
- Drainage collection and, where water quality allows, safe reuse
- Comparison of water sources only with location-specific data
- Adjustments when moving from soil to substrate cultivation
Conditions
- Reliable meters and regular calibration
- Knowledge of water quality and salt load of each source
- Maintenance capacity for filters, pumps and dosing equipment
- Attention to side effects: extra energy for pumping or treatment
Research questions
- Which minimal measurement set allows growers to improve irrigation decisions?
- Under which conditions is drainage reuse technically and economically viable?
- How do farm-level efficiency gains relate to water use at basin level?
Measurement points
- External water intake in m³/ha per crop cycle
- Water intensity in litres per kg marketable product
- Drainage and reuse volumes
- Marketable production and related costs
Note
More efficient water use on one farm does not prove lower water consumption in the wider area. Any saving is reported only against a documented reference situation.