Reinventing the wheel – The preservation and potential of traditional water wheels in the terraced irrigated landscapes of the Ricote Valley, southeast Spain

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

Agricultural Water Management, 2022, vol. 259, issue C

Abstract: Lifting water is crucial to irrigate agricultural terraces in the Mediterranean region. But the energy demand and emissions of modern forms of water pumping have increased, while many traditional water wheels, which lift water at zero direct emissions, have been abandoned. We explored the state of preservation and the potential for the deployment of traditional water wheels known as “norias” in the Ricote Valley of southeast Spain, where some are still in function, while also investigating the reasons for their widespread abandonment. A mixed method approach is used here to combine GIS-based methods, an expert survey, and a technological and socio-economic assessment of noria renovation.

Keywords: Irrigated agriculture; Cultural landscape; Multifunctionality of agriculture; Water management; Emission mitigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:259:y:2022:i:c:s0378377421005175

DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107240

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