Linking participatory approach and rapid appraisal methods to select potential innovations in collective irrigation systems

This paper presents a novel approach that integrates participatory methods and a rapid appraisal process to identify constraints and select potentially innovative solutions aimed at improving water and energy use efficiency at different levels in collective irrigation systems. First, a set of quantitative performance indicators is calculated, allowing the identification of the main problems. The study then adopts a bottom-up approach and emphasizes the need for active involvement of stakeholders from different backgrounds to identify potential opportunities to improve the sustainability of the collective irrigation system. From this collaborative and integrative approach, an innovation basket is developed, that includes a variety of techniques, technologies and management practices tailored to the specific challenges of the Lucefecit Collective Irrigation System. The results show that high-energy consumption is the main problem, with high values for energy consumption per hectare (2919.9 kWh) and per m3 of water delivered at the hydrants (0.43 kWh). Another problem is the lack of support for farmers in irrigation scheduling, which leads to large variations in irrigation water productivity across farms. The results of this study provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the participatory approach and the feasibility of implementing innovative solutions in collective irrigation systems.