Irrigation in the Mediterranean. Technologies, Institutions and Policies

Abstract

Irrigation was initiated about 6000 BC in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, when farmers started diverting water from the flooding Nile or Tigris/Euphrates rivers, conveying them through networks of small channels to irrigate their fields and secure production in an otherwise arid environment. This gave rise to great civilizations that flourished thanks to their ability to con- trol water supply. Since then, around the Mediterranean, water became an element of strategic importance, and sophisticated sets of institutions, laws, rules, and regu- lations have been progressively put in place to ensure efficient allocation, distribu- tion, and use of water for agriculture. Nowhere else can we find water institutions that are so intimately associated with people, cultures, and societies