Groundwater is endangered and polluted in several ways. Conservation and
better management of this invisible resource should be a key ingredient
of sustainable water policies. This is especially true in areas, such as
many Mediterranean regions, which are already exposed to scarcity
problems and which are likely to experience increasing competition
between freshwater uses and users. Agriculture is an important user of
groundwater not only in terms of abstractions, but also in terms of
generation and release of pollutants. Agricultural policies,
traditionally directed towards other objectives, are beginning to pay
more attention to environmental considerations. However more effective
initiatives are required to reduce the pressure upon groundwater
resources and to achieve a better integration between agricultural and
environmental policies.
This book has been developed from three workshops held as part of the EU
Concerted Action SAGA, "Sustainable Agricultural Use of Aquifers in
Southern Europe: Integration between Agricultural and Water Management
Policies" (FAIR5-CT97-3673). The Concerted Action and the workshops
brought together researchers working in different but complementary
fields, in order to get a picture of the state-of-the art about
interlinkages between agriculture and groundwater, as well a critical
review of alternative regulatory approaches and policy instruments aimed
at improving groundwater management.