Aquifer Sustainability and the Use of Desalinated Seawater for Greenhouse Irrigation in the Campo de Níjar, Southeast Spain
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Aznar Sánchez, José Ángel; Belmonte Ureña, Luis Jesús; Velasco Muñoz, Juan Francisco; Valera Martínez, Diego LuisDate
2019-03-12Abstract
In the Campo de Níjar (southeast Spain), an intensive horticulture model under plastic has been developed based on the use of groundwater. For many years, aquifers have been overexploited, almost generating an environmental collapse. The construction of a desalination plant was planned to improve this situation and to achieve sustainable aquifer management. However, the aquifer is still being overexploited, since farmers scarcely use desalinated seawater for irrigation. In this paper, farmers irrigating with desalinated seawater are characterized, since they contribute to aquifer sustainability. The study aimed to identify the variables which condition the use of this water resource, as well as the kinds of incentives that encourage this option. For this purpose, a survey was undertaken within a sample of 110 farmers. A cluster analysis and a binary logistic regression were employed. The results from the cluster analysis allowed the characterization of farmers who use desalinated seawa...
Palabra/s clave
aquifers
sustainability
desalinated seawater
horticulture
cluster analysis
binary logistic regression