Irrigated Agriculture and the Cost Recovery Principle of Water Services: Assessment and Discussion of the Case of the Guadalquivir River Basin (Spain)

The Cost Recovery Principle (CRP) is considered by the European Union (EU) water policy as a substantial requirement for economic efficiency, transparency, fairness, and sustainability in the use of water resources. Nevertheless, the implementation of the CRP by EU Member States has encountered significant challenges, both theoretical and practical, especially regarding the accounting of environmental and resource costs related to water use by the agricultural sector. This paper aims to analyse the application of the CRP to the agricultural irrigation sector in Spain, based on the case study of the Guadalquivir River Basin. To this end, an assessment of the financial, environmental, and resource costs (and the corresponding cost recovery rates) of water services related to the irrigation sector was carried out for this specific river basin. Additionally, this study aimed to offer a much-needed discussion on the agricultural “exceptionalism” phenomenon regarding the application of the CRP at the moment when water and agricultural EU policies are being reviewed to guarantee a more sustainable development of agriculture when using such a strategic natural resource

The microeconomics of water demand under deficit irrigation: a case study in Southern Spain

This contribution presents an exploratory analysis of the microeconomics of deficit irrigation (DI) as a technique with growing prevalence in water scarce areas, as it is the case of southern Spain. We analyze farmer decisions based upon their subjective beliefs about water production function that farmers could attribute to this technology. The dynamic nature of water policy means that these technologies, which can be labelled as water saving techniques, have a relevant impact on the farmers’ decision process about the applied water doses and the structure of the water demand.Secretaría General de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación MINECO AGL2014-53417-

The microeconomics of water demand under deficit irrigation: a case study in Southern Spain

This contribution presents an exploratory analysis of the microeconomics of deficit irrigation (DI) as a technique with growing prevalence in water scarce areas, as it is the case of southern Spain. We analyze farmer decisions based upon their subjective beliefs about water production function that farmers could attribute to this technology. The dynamic nature of water policy means that these technologies, which can be labelled as water saving techniques, have a relevant impact on the farmers’ decision process about the applied water doses and the structure of the water demand.Secretaría General de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación MINECO AGL2014-53417-

La especialización comercial de las regiones españolas y su relación con las dotaciones relativas de factores

El importante crecimiento experimentado por el comercio internacional durante la última década del siglo XX y los avances alcanzados en el proceso de integración europea, han reducido considerablemente las distancias económicas entre las regiones españolas, afectando a sus procesos de especialización comercial y a sus ventajas de localización dentro de España y de la UE. La primera parte de este trabajo persigue estudiar las pautas de especialización en el patrón comercial de las regiones españolas durante el período 1991-2001 y determinar la existencia de procesos de convergencia o divergencia entre las mismas. La segunda parte analiza la evolución de las dotaciones relativas de factores productivos (capital físico, capital humano y capital I+D) en las regiones españolas durante la década de los noventa con el objeto de determinar en qué medida éstas han influido en las pautas de especialización regional identificadas anteriormente

Especialización, convergencia y concentración de las exportaciones españolas de mercancías. Un análisis regional (1991-2001)

El importante crecimiento experimentado por el comercio internacional durante la última década del siglo XX y los avances alcanzados en el proceso de integración europea, han reducido considerablemente las distancias económicas entre las regiones españolas, afectando a sus procesos de especialización comercial y a sus ventajas de localización dentro de España y en la UE. Este trabajo analiza las pautas de especialización y concentración en el patrón comercial de las regiones españolas durante el período 1991-2001 con el objetivo de identificar sus tendencias actuales y determinar la existencia de procesos de convergencia o divergencia entre las mismas

Educación basada en competencias y la empleabilidad de los jóvenes graduados: un análisis del Sistema Español de Educación Superior

La creación del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES) ha propiciado la implementación de un modelo de Educación Basada en Competencias (EBC) en el sistema español de educación superior. Tradicionalmente, el modelo EBC se ha asociado a una mejora de la empleabilidad de los jóvenes graduados, a través del aprendizaje de las competencias demandadas en cada momento por el mercado laboral. Este trabajo pretende debatir la capacidad del sistema educativo español para generar las competencias demandas por el mercado laboral y mejorar así la empleabilidad de sus graduados. Asimismo, se pone como objetivo identificar los desafíos que actualmente enfrentan las instituciones educativas españolas para asegurar la exitosa implementación de este modelo educativo y sus efectos positivos sobre la empleabilidad

Un modelo docente participativo y generador de conocimento en un contexto de aprendizaje mixto: experiencias en la docencia de la Economía Internacional

Este trabajo describe las experiencias y la metodología docente empleada en la asignatura de Economía Internacional del Grado de Marketing e Investigación de Mercados de la Universidad de Sevilla en el marco de un modelo participativo-generativo de conocimiento y con el apoyo instrumental de una plataforma virtual. Con esta experiencia se ha buscado colocar al estudiante en el centro del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, alejándose así del modelo informativo-asimilativo más tradicional y donde el uso de la plataforma virtual se basa exclusivamente en la presentación de información y la gestión de contenidos. Asimismo, se ha pretendido aprovechar todas las ventajas de la enseñanza virtual en un contexto de aprendizaje mixto o blended learning (b-learning), donde las clases presenciales se complementan con aprendizajes e interacciones virtuales. Los resultados obtenidos revelan importantes niveles de satisfacción del alumnado en los tres aspectos evaluados: generación de conocimiento, desarrollo de competencias y participación en el proceso de evaluación. Asimismo, se observa una mayor motivación del estudiante a la hora de abordar los contenidos de la asignatura, lo que se ha reflejado en mejores rendimientos académicos

Valuing Households’ Willingness to Pay for Water Transfers from the Irrigation Sector: A Case Study of the City of Seville (Southern Spain)

Water scarcity is increasing in many countries worldwide, and conflicts between alternative uses have arisen due to the high demand and the effects of climate change, among other factors. This paper employs a contingent valuation (CV) method to determine households’ willingness to pay (WTP) compensation to the irrigation sector to guarantee urban supply reliability under extreme water-scarcity conditions (e.g., during a drought period) through inter-sectoral water transfers. The data was obtained from a survey covering 250 households in the city of Seville. In order to estimate households’ WTP, a double-bounded approach is used. Results show that the average WTP would be between 2.53 and 2.59 euros (on a monthly basis), which would represent a viable annual water transfer of 14.3 Hm3 from the irrigation sector, which would be compensated accordingly. This study shows that inter-sectoral water transfers should be considered a viable adaptation measure to manage the consequences of water scarcity in urban areas.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España y Fondo Europeo para el Desarrollo Regional AGL2014-53417-R

Sustainability Implications of Deficit Irrigation in a Mature Water Economy: A Case Study in Southern Spain

Deficit irrigation (DI) is an agricultural practice in which the volume of irrigation water applied during the crop cycle is below the irrigation requirements for maximum production, the aim of which is to increase irrigation water productivity. Most research on this technique has focused on agronomic strategies while the economic and environmental consequences have received little attention. This study aims to shed some light on this matter and presents preliminary results regarding the implications of DI with respect to the sustainable use of water resources. The analysis is based on the DPSIR analytical framework (Driving force/Pressure/State/Impact/Response) and the microeconomics of DI. The case study focuses on intensive olive groves in the Guadalquivir river basin in Southern Spain (where olive cultivation accounts for 50% of the total irrigated area). The analysis shows that the widespread use of DI practices, which is the farmers’ response to a decreasing net water supply and falling farm incomes (driving force) in the context of a mature water economy, may help to break the DPSIR chain of causality, provided that there are restrictions on any expansion in irrigated area. They can, thus, play a role in achieving sustainable water use. Conversely, demand and supply (regulator) responses involving raising the price of water would lead to higher pressures on the resource and represent a negative driving force in our DPSIR model

Why Is Water Pricing Ineffective for Deficit Irrigation Schemes? A Case Study in Southern Spain

This paper explores the impact on water demand of the adoption of deficit and precision irrigation as a farmer’s attempt to respond to water scarcity by maximising water productivity. The case study is characterised by the intensive use of deficit irrigation techniques in olive groves, which account for 50% of all irrigated land in southern Spain. These technologies have an important influence on the structure of the water demand. This study reveals that following the adoption of such technologies, water demand does not respond to moderate changes in water price, unless price increases become so great that they reach a threshold price representing a disproportionate and unaffordable social impact. This fact has significant consequences for water policy as water pricing becomes an ineffective instrument for managing water demand in a context characterised by resource scarcity and farmers’ adoption of deficit irrigation techniques