Sustainable water management and water supply

Abstract

In all over the world in consequence of the global warming the water use became very much increasable demanded. At present the agricultural sector remained as the biggest user for the water. At the national economic level of the developing countries, the water use for agricultural sector was 80% of all amount of the water coming from the rivers. This portion was about 65% at national economic level of the highly developed countries, in which the agricultural sector had share between 3-5% of the GDP. The other 35% were used by the industrial sector, service sectors and population water consumption. Also about 40% of the world’s food came from the irrigated 20% areas of all cultivated lands. The water use of agricultural sector was very considerable. In this case the development of the irrigation system is demanded at the international and Hungarian national levels because of its strong connection with food production. There are two kinds of irrigation systems, namely the large scale and small scale irrigation one, both of which are also public and private sectors, as well. The national governments provide the planning, financial supports, and investment activities, but in most of cases the farmers get subsidies. In private field farmers, as carrying the risk, realise economic activities including the developing irrigation system based on governmental supports. This case study analyzes the importance of large and small scale irrigation systems, because both of them are equally important based on the available capital amount and the production structure of farms.