Balancing Groundwater Conservation and Rural Livelihoods under Water and Climate Uncertainties: An Integrated Hydro-Economic Modeling Framework

This research paper describes an integrated hydro-economic modeling framework used to analyze water and agricultural policies in a basin in Spain's central arid region, focusing on the tension between groundwater conservation and rural livelihoods.

• Current quota-based water policies in the studied region may lower farm water consumption, but they are insufficient to recover the aquifer and result in income losses for rural communities.
• Adaptation to water stress is more effective for larger farms that utilize modern irrigation and crop diversification.
• Long-term aquifer sustainability and the preservation of rural livelihoods require additional policy interventions, specifically the creation of a water bank and the control of illegal abstractions.
• The study utilizes an integrated approach combining an economic optimization model with the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) hydrology model from the Stockholm Environment Institute to assess policy effects across various climate scenarios.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2011). Balancing Groundwater Conservation and Rural Livelihoods under Water and Climate Uncertainties: An Integrated Hydro-Economic Modeling Framework. https://www.sei.org/publications/balancing-groundwater-conservation-and-rural-livelihoods-under-water-and-climate-uncertainties-an-integrated-hydro-economic-modeling-framework/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Balancing Groundwater Conservation and Rural Livelihoods under Water and Climate Uncertainties: An Integrated Hydro-Economic Modeling Framework. 2011. https://www.sei.org/publications/balancing-groundwater-conservation-and-rural-livelihoods-under-water-and-climate-uncertainties-an-integrated-hydro-economic-modeling-framework/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Balancing Groundwater Conservation and Rural Livelihoods under Water and Climate Uncertainties: An Integrated Hydro-Economic Modeling Framework |date=28 September 2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/balancing-groundwater-conservation-and-rural-livelihoods-under-water-and-climate-uncertainties-an-integrated-hydro-economic-modeling-framework/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2011balancing, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Balancing Groundwater Conservation and Rural Livelihoods under Water and Climate Uncertainties: An Integrated Hydro-Economic Modeling Framework}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/balancing-groundwater-conservation-and-rural-livelihoods-under-water-and-climate-uncertainties-an-integrated-hydro-economic-modeling-framework/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }