Improved water resources management for smart farming: a case study for Cyprus.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Agricultural Science
• Hydrology

Background:

• Water scarcity is exacerbated by climate change, particularly in Mediterranean regions like Cyprus.
• Efficient water resource management is critical for agricultural sustainability in drought-prone areas.
• Remote sensing offers valuable tools for assessing crop water requirements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement an optimized approach for calculating crop-specific irrigation needs.
• To provide crucial insights for water management strategies in Cyprus.
• To assess the water footprint of major crops in a water-stressed island environment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized remote sensing techniques to estimate daily crop evapotranspiration.
• Focused on three key agricultural crops in Cyprus: citrus, olives, and potatoes.
• Developed a case study for the island of Cyprus to analyze water resource allocation.

Main Results:

• Calculated daily crop evapotranspiration for citrus, olives, and potatoes across Cyprus.
• Determined that these crops collectively withdraw significantly more water than the island's annual reservoir inflow in 2023.
• Highlighted a substantial deficit between crop water demand and water availability.

Conclusions:

• Current irrigation practices in Cyprus are unsustainable given the calculated water demands.
• Urgent adoption of optimized irrigation management by farmers is required.
• Local authorities and stakeholders must implement enhanced water resource management practices to address the water crisis.