Land fragmentation index for drip-irrigated field systems in the Mediterranean: A case study from Ricote (Murcia, SE Spain)

Katharina Heider, Juan Miguel Rodriguez Lopez, José María García Avilés and Andrea L. Balbo

Agricultural Systems, 2018, vol. 166, issue C, 48-56

Abstract: Land fragmentation is widespread in traditional field systems of the Mediterranean region. A typical case for high fragmented properties is the Valley of Ricote. It is dominated by smallholder agriculture. To promote smart sustainable development in rural areas it is important to address the specific needs of these small agricultural producers; especially considering that agriculture is the most important consumer of water worldwide and that the great majority of farms are small production units extending over <2 ha. Indeed, high land fragmentation, resulting from traditional land inheritance and transmission systems, may cause loss of water and productive land, entropic governance and superfluous emissions. In particular, drip-irrigated systems suffer from higher costs for irrigation due to high land fragmentation.

Keywords: Agriculture; Irrigation; Transaction costs; GIS; Mitigation; Property (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agisys:v:166:y:2018:i:c:p:48-56

DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2018.07.006

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