Contribution of Irrigation Ponds to the Sustainability of Agriculture. A Review of Worldwide Research

Belén López-Felices, José A. Aznar-Sánchez, Juan F. Velasco-Muñoz and María Piquer-Rodríguez
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Belén López-Felices: Department of Economy and Business, Research Centre CIAIMBITAL and CAESCG, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
José A. Aznar-Sánchez: Department of Economy and Business, Research Centre CIAIMBITAL and CAESCG, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
Juan F. Velasco-Muñoz: Department of Economy and Business, Research Centre CIAIMBITAL and CAESCG, University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain
María Piquer-Rodríguez: Department of Geography, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 13, 1-18

Abstract: The use of irrigation ponds has proved to be an efficient alternative for increasing the availability and quality of water resources for irrigation and contributing to the sustainability of agriculture. This article analyses the dynamics of worldwide research on this topic over the last two decades. To do this, a review including a qualitative systematic analysis and a quantitative bibliometric analysis was carried out on a sample of 951 articles. The results reveal that this line of research is becoming more relevant within agricultural research, particularly in recent years. The research in this topic has focused on the sustainable development of vulnerable regions, the contribution to the agronomic improvement of crops and farms, environmental impact assessment, the joint management of water resources, the restoration of groundwater bodies, and the use of rainfall. Gaps have been found in the literature with respect to the capacity of irrigation ponds to cover the irrigation needs in different agricultural contexts, the perceptions and attitudes of farmers towards the use of irrigation ponds, and the economic–financial feasibility of these systems.

Keywords: irrigation ponds; semi-arid climate; water resources management; rainwater harvesting; groundwater recharge; sustainable agriculture; bibliometric analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:13:p:5425-:d:380670

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