Towards sustainable agricultural water management in Poland – How to meet water demand for supplemental irrigation?

The global challenge of water scarcity, particularly in agriculture, demands urgent attention due to the overexploitation of water resources and the escalating impacts of climate change. This study focuses on the unique challenges faced by Poland, experiencing increasing concerns related to droughts...

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Main Authors: Paweł Marcinkowski, Mikołaj Piniewski, Tomasz Okruszko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Agricultural Water Management
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742400550X
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author Paweł Marcinkowski
Mikołaj Piniewski
Tomasz Okruszko
author_facet Paweł Marcinkowski
Mikołaj Piniewski
Tomasz Okruszko
author_sort Paweł Marcinkowski
collection DOAJ
description The global challenge of water scarcity, particularly in agriculture, demands urgent attention due to the overexploitation of water resources and the escalating impacts of climate change. This study focuses on the unique challenges faced by Poland, experiencing increasing concerns related to droughts. It explores the utilization of supplemental irrigation, specifically in the context of Central Europe, where a distinctive approach known as supplemental irrigation is employed. The study emphasizes the need for sustainable water management practices and investigates the potential of small water retention measures (SWRMs), such as ponds and drainage water management, as solutions to enhance water availability in agriculture. A macro-scale water balance study is conducted using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to estimate spatio-temporal variability of water demand for supplemental irrigation in Poland. The highest demand, approximately 2.5 billion m3 (for arable lands) and 1.3 billion m3 (for grasslands), occurred during the exceptionally dry year of 2015, characterized by severe agricultural drought effects. The study also assesses the efficiency of SWRMs in meeting irrigation demands at national level. The results highlight a paradox in their effectiveness during critical periods, specifically in dry years when water demands are the highest. The outcomes of the model experiment underscored concerns about the insufficiency of meeting the water needs of irrigated agriculture solely through the construction of small retention facilities during very dry years. The outcomes of this research contribute to a better understanding of irrigation water demands in temperate climate region, support evidence-based practices for sustainable water management, and inform policymakers and stakeholders involved in water governance.
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spelling doaj-art-16daafd8fe674b8aa48e13e5a4e289102025-08-20T01:55:31ZengElsevierAgricultural Water Management1873-22832024-12-0130610921410.1016/j.agwat.2024.109214Towards sustainable agricultural water management in Poland – How to meet water demand for supplemental irrigation?Paweł Marcinkowski0Mikołaj Piniewski1Tomasz Okruszko2Corresponding author.; Department of Hydrology, Meteorology and Water Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, Warsaw 02-787, PolandDepartment of Hydrology, Meteorology and Water Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, Warsaw 02-787, PolandDepartment of Hydrology, Meteorology and Water Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, Warsaw 02-787, PolandThe global challenge of water scarcity, particularly in agriculture, demands urgent attention due to the overexploitation of water resources and the escalating impacts of climate change. This study focuses on the unique challenges faced by Poland, experiencing increasing concerns related to droughts. It explores the utilization of supplemental irrigation, specifically in the context of Central Europe, where a distinctive approach known as supplemental irrigation is employed. The study emphasizes the need for sustainable water management practices and investigates the potential of small water retention measures (SWRMs), such as ponds and drainage water management, as solutions to enhance water availability in agriculture. A macro-scale water balance study is conducted using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to estimate spatio-temporal variability of water demand for supplemental irrigation in Poland. The highest demand, approximately 2.5 billion m3 (for arable lands) and 1.3 billion m3 (for grasslands), occurred during the exceptionally dry year of 2015, characterized by severe agricultural drought effects. The study also assesses the efficiency of SWRMs in meeting irrigation demands at national level. The results highlight a paradox in their effectiveness during critical periods, specifically in dry years when water demands are the highest. The outcomes of the model experiment underscored concerns about the insufficiency of meeting the water needs of irrigated agriculture solely through the construction of small retention facilities during very dry years. The outcomes of this research contribute to a better understanding of irrigation water demands in temperate climate region, support evidence-based practices for sustainable water management, and inform policymakers and stakeholders involved in water governance.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742400550XSWAT modelSupplemental irrigationDrainage ditchesAuto-irrigationSub-irrigation systemsIrrigation ponds
spellingShingle Paweł Marcinkowski
Mikołaj Piniewski
Tomasz Okruszko
Towards sustainable agricultural water management in Poland – How to meet water demand for supplemental irrigation?
Agricultural Water Management
SWAT model
Supplemental irrigation
Drainage ditches
Auto-irrigation
Sub-irrigation systems
Irrigation ponds
title Towards sustainable agricultural water management in Poland – How to meet water demand for supplemental irrigation?
title_full Towards sustainable agricultural water management in Poland – How to meet water demand for supplemental irrigation?
title_fullStr Towards sustainable agricultural water management in Poland – How to meet water demand for supplemental irrigation?
title_full_unstemmed Towards sustainable agricultural water management in Poland – How to meet water demand for supplemental irrigation?
title_short Towards sustainable agricultural water management in Poland – How to meet water demand for supplemental irrigation?
title_sort towards sustainable agricultural water management in poland how to meet water demand for supplemental irrigation
topic SWAT model
Supplemental irrigation
Drainage ditches
Auto-irrigation
Sub-irrigation systems
Irrigation ponds
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742400550X
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AT mikołajpiniewski towardssustainableagriculturalwatermanagementinpolandhowtomeetwaterdemandforsupplementalirrigation
AT tomaszokruszko towardssustainableagriculturalwatermanagementinpolandhowtomeetwaterdemandforsupplementalirrigation