Irrigation efficiency and water policy implications for river basin resilience

The document argues that increasing irrigation efficiency without restrictive policies can paradoxically increase overall resource use and aggravate water scarcity. It identifies three specific paradoxes: the efficiency paradox, where tighter water cycling increases use; the scale paradox, which manifests as scarcity and salinity in lower basin reaches; and the sectoral paradox, where declining ecological flows impact urban supply, energy generation, and ecosystems. These dynamics are examined through the lens of central Chile, the southwestern US, and south-central Spain.

• Irrigation efficiency can lead to an 'efficiency paradox' where the tighter cycling of water actually increases total resource use.
• Without policies to limit the expansion of irrigated areas using saved water, efficiency measures can worsen water scarcity, degrade resource quality, and reduce river basin resilience by removing flexibility and redundancy.
• The 'scale paradox' results in water scarcity and salinity in lower basin reaches, while the 'sectoral paradox' involves the negative impact of declining ecological flows on energy generation, urban water supply, and riparian and estuarine ecosystems.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2025). Irrigation efficiency and water policy implications for river basin resilience. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/irrigation-efficiency-and-water-policy-implications-for-river-basin-resilience/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Irrigation efficiency and water policy implications for river basin resilience. 2025. https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/irrigation-efficiency-and-water-policy-implications-for-river-basin-resilience/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Irrigation efficiency and water policy implications for river basin resilience |date=16 January 2025 |url=https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/irrigation-efficiency-and-water-policy-implications-for-river-basin-resilience/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2025irrigation, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Irrigation efficiency and water policy implications for river basin resilience}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://iai.int/es/pub_acad/irrigation-efficiency-and-water-policy-implications-for-river-basin-resilience/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }