Type of indicator

Environment

Indicator C39

Water abstraction in agriculture

Definition

This indicator refers to the volume of water which is applied to soils for irrigation purposes. Data concern water abstraction from total surface and ground water. 

In addition, information on the share of water abstraction in agriculture (for irrigation purposes) as a percentage of total gross (freshwater) abstraction can also be used to complement the indicator.

Agriculture is a major user of water, primarily for irrigation in order to enhance the yield and quality of crops. It is therefore an essential driving force in the management of water use. 

Volume of water which is applied to soil for irrigation:

- according to the definition applied in Council Regulation (EC) No 1166/2008 and in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1200/2009 on farm structure surveys and the survey on agricultural production methods, the volume of water used for irrigation per year is defined as the volume of water that has been used for irrigation on the holding during the 12 months prior to the reference date of the survey, regardless of the source (VIII. Irrigation, Annex II of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1200/2009).

For each holding surveyed, Member States shall provide an estimation of the volume of water used for irrigation on the holding in cubic metres. The estimation may be produced by means of a model (art. 11 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1166/2008).

Share of irrigation in total water abstraction:

- according to the definitions delineated in the OECD/Eurostat Joint Questionnaire on Inland Waters, "total gross abstraction for agriculture of which irrigation" is defined as the "water which is applied to soils in order to increase their moisture content and to provide for normal plant growth". The indicator shows the importance of irrigation in the volumes of total water abstracted by countries for different sectors of water use. 

Unit of measurement

Million m³

Data source

Eurostat – Environment and energy – Water statistics on national level

References/location of the data

Eurostat – environment statistics - Table annual water abstraction by source and by sector (env_wat_abs), data water abstraction for irrigation purposes. Information on the share of water abstraction in agriculture (for irrigation purposes) as a percentage of the total gross (freshwater) abstraction is also available.

- Agro-environmental indicator (AEI) 20: Water abstraction, as defined in the COM (2006) 508 on "Development of agri-environmental indicators for monitoring the integration of environmental concerns into the CAP". http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Agri-environmental_indicator_-_water_abstraction 

Data collection level

National

 

Frequency

Annual data

Delay

2-3 years

 

Comments/caveats

The quality of data at the moment is quite poor as several MSs are missing.

Indicator C.37 PMEF

Indicator I.17 Reducing pressure on water resource:

Water Exploitation Index Plus (WEI+)

Indicator Name

Water use in agriculture

Definition
  1. Water use in agriculture is assessed with the WATER EXPLOITATION INDEX PLUS (WEI+), which provides an estimated measure of the total water use as a percentage of the renewable freshwater resources (groundwater and surface water) for a given territory and time period.

It is an advanced version of the WEI. The WEI+ addresses regional and seasonal aspects of water scarcity. In addition, it also takes water use (water abstraction minus water returned) into account. It identifies areas (e.g. sub-basins or river basins) prone to water stress due to exceeding water abstraction and use on a seasonal scale in relation to the resources available.

Methodology:

WEI+ = Water use
Renewable water resources (RWR)

RWR= Outflow + (Abstraction – Return) + Change in storage

Change in storage= Water in (Lakes + Reservoirs) – Water out (Lakes + Reservoirs)

Water use= Abstraction – Return (all economic sectors covered)

As an impact indicator for the CAP, two specific indicators could be derived from the WEI+: 

  1. A specific indicator expressing the relative pressure of agriculture compared to other economic sectors, at national level and on an annual basis.
  2. A specific indicator expressing the change over time in the volume of water used by agriculture, at national level and on an annual basis. 

More details on the calculation and units of measurement are being developed.

WEI+ is expressed as a percentage of water use over the renewable water resources available. 

< 20% = non-stressed area; > 20% = under stress; 40% = severe stress and clearly unsustainable resource use.

Unit of measurement

%

Data source
  • WISE SoE 3
  • Eurostat and OECD joint Questionnaire on Inland Waters
  • National Statistical Offices (on ad-hoc basis, not part of formal data collection by the EEA) 
  • E-OBS gridded dataset (on hydro-climatic variables) 
  • 'Return': The average water return rate, which is implemented in the WEI+, reflects differences in irrigation technology and efficiency improvements, it is estimated to be 30%, based on the existing literature. 

References / location of the data

Data collection / dissemination level

National (NUTS 0) and River Basin District or Sub Unit level.

Frequency

The updating frequency will be carried out when demanded. Result will depend on updating frequency of data sources.

  • WISE SoE 3: annual on MS level or monthly/ seasonal/ annual River Basin District (RBD) or Sub Unit (SU) level. All on voluntary basis. 
  • Eurostat and OECD joint Questionnaire: annual at MS level 
  • National Statistical Offices: no formal consultation/reporting process.
  • E-OBS gridded dataset: published daily, then aggregated to monthly scale.

Timeliness

 

Comments/caveats

[Indication capacity] 

It sets environmental conditions in relation to pressures from sectors. It allows estimating the pressure a sectors exerts on the natural water resources, compared to other sectors.

For both specific indicators it should be further explored how much a comparison between years is conceptually reasonable when considering the level of gap filling.

The “WAT 006- Water use intensity for crop production” indicator developed by EEA could be used as supplementary information to compare water inputs with the gross value added of crop production.

[Readily available?]: The indicator is now available:

  • Q4 2019: WEI+ will be available at MS level (currently, at River Basin district and sub-basin level). 

[Downscaling] There are different  options to present the information of the WEI+:

  • at MS level on annual resolution, or
  • at finer spatial and temporal scales i.e. RBD or SU level on seasonal resolution.

Both options come with pros and cons, notably on the interpretation of the results.

For evaluation purposes, all the above ways to express the indicator could be useful.

[Quality:] Some caveats remain:

  • WISE SoE 3: holds large gaps in the data coverage particularly on water abstraction and water use for irrigation. Since 2010, the reporting rate of Member States on the water abstraction for irrigation has been dramatically decreasing. No or very low reporting together with large breaks in the time series on water abstraction for agriculture from some MS. 
  • Similar to the streamflow data which needs large gap filling to be implemented with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) LISFLOOD data.
  • Eurostat and OECD Joint questionnaire: data presents large temporal and spatial gaps in time series. That limits to provide robust overview on the irrigation pressure on renewable water resources.
  • National Statistical Offices: minor benefit as websites are in national languages and it is difficult to find data sets and also definitions are very diverse.
  • “Return”: Some of Member States have reported data on this variable during the last data-reporting stream in 2018 but it is still far from being sufficient.

 

An earlier version of this indicator is used for the EU reporting on UN Sustainable Development Goals.