As we do every March 22nd since 1993, we celebrate World Water Day. The United Nations established it to highlight the importance of freshwater on our planet. This year, we celebrate this day around the theme “Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible,” which aims to raise awareness about the global water crisis, emphasize the importance of sustainable freshwater resource management, and continue the fight to guarantee access to clean water and adequate sanitation for the entire world population by 2030. 

Although it's a problem that has persisted for years, 2022 marked a turning point in the scarcity of water for crop irrigation. This is a matter of utmost concern in our country and in parts of Portugal and Italy. 

The drought has caused substantial changes in agricultural activity, and large areas have been left uncultivated due to the lack of water. For example, in parts of Extremadura, Seville, and southern and central Portugal, rice planting has not been possible because the river basins are dry.

Specifically, in Spain, since the beginning of the hydrological year in October 2021, the national average rainfall has been 41.1% below the normal value. As of March 15, the national water reserve stood at 40.71% of total reservoir capacity, 12 percentage points below the average of the last five years.

This situation is of such magnitude that the Spanish Government has recently approved a package of urgent measures in various areas to support the agricultural sector and help it cope with the drought. 

From EDYPRO We are committed to sustainable development and work hard to continue optimizing all the natural resources our planet offers. Water is an essential resource for life on Earth and plays a vital role in agriculture. It is crucial to continue developing more efficient uses of this resource. In this regard, we highlight the precision irrigation system that we previously discussed. This post as one of the options to seriously consider since they represent a considerable saving of water. Also the use of products that maximize water use efficiency in crops or that act on the water, allowing a reduction in the amount used for irrigation.

Currently, Spain is one of the European countries with the highest water stress; it is vitally important to continue working in this area, seeking systems and methods to increase the efficiency and productivity of water use in agriculture, and therefore, from EDYPRO We join in the celebration of this day in which we recognize the need to protect and conserve our groundwater, since despite being hidden, it represents a vital resource for our planet.