Agricultural Use of Groundwater

Our groundwater is a vital resource which, despite its scarcity in many areas, such as the Mediterranean, is everywhere threatened by pollution and other hazards. Conservation and better management of this invisible resource should thus be a key ingredient of any sustainable water policy. The future is bound to see increasing competition between freshwater use and users, such as agriculture, an industry that not only extracts a great deal of groundwater but also threatens it with pollution. Agricultural policies have traditionally had other objectives, but environmental considerations are starting to play a greater role, but more effective initiatives will be needed to reduce pressure on groundwater resources and to better integrate agricultural and environmental policies. The present book, written by researchers drawn from different but complementary fields, presents a review of the interlinkages between agriculture and groundwater, and a critical review of alternative regulatory approaches and policy instruments for the better management of groundwater.