Measuring Irrigation Subsidies: Policy recommendations from a Spanish case study

This policy brief discusses the need for a common methodology to measure national irrigation subsidies and presents the results of a case study applying the Net Cost to the Supplier approach in Spain.

• There is a lack of a common methodology for measuring irrigation subsidies at the national level, which is necessary to ensure national estimates are internationally comparable.
• Using a methodology based on the Net Cost to the Supplier approach—which measures government expenditures from official documentation—a study estimated that annual subsidies for irrigated agriculture in Spain range from €906 million to €1.120 million, based on conservative assumptions.

APA

Charles,, C. (2010). Measuring Irrigation Subsidies: Policy recommendations from a Spanish case study. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/measuring-irrigation-subsidies-policy-recommendations-spanish-case-study

Chicago

Charles,, Chris. Measuring Irrigation Subsidies: Policy recommendations from a Spanish case study. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/measuring-irrigation-subsidies-policy-recommendations-spanish-case-study.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Charles, |first1=Chris |title=Measuring Irrigation Subsidies: Policy recommendations from a Spanish case study |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=28 October 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/measuring-irrigation-subsidies-policy-recommendations-spanish-case-study |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{charles2010measuring, author = {Charles,, Chris}, title = {{Measuring Irrigation Subsidies: Policy recommendations from a Spanish case study}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/measuring-irrigation-subsidies-policy-recommendations-spanish-case-study}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }