National Strategy for rehabilitation and expansion of irrigation infrastructure in Romania.

National Strategy for rehabilitation and expansion of irrigation infrastructure in Romania is a nationwide multi-sectoral policy document, supporting and complementing the measures previously adopted in the agricultural sector on adapting to climate change and reducing its effects, as well as measures taken to increase energy efficiency through application of irrigation.
The general objective of the Strategy is to increase the areas arranged for irrigation in order to ensure the necessary conditions for the capitalization of the agricultural potential of the land characterized by high fertility classes but subject to the effects of drought. Specific objectives: (a) completion of the rehabilitation of the main irrigation infrastructure in an area of 2,004,639 ha; (b) bringing to the state of operation, in proportion of 100%, an area of 743,913 ha; (c) development of new irrigation systems that will be fed gravitationally from the main canal Siret – Bărăgan of a total area of approx. 100,000 ha; and (d) development of new gravity-fed irrigation systems from alternative water sources.
The Strategy of increasing the areas arranged for irrigation will be realized, in the medium and long term, by building new irrigation systems in drought-affected areas in the south and east of Romania, other than those currently included in rehabilitation programs but also in new areas, characterized in the past by excess moisture, but where it has manifested itself acutely in recent years drought phenomenon, located mainly in the center and west of the country, whose expected effect will consists in reducing the vulnerability of the agricultural sector to climatic conditions in the context of warming reducing the dependence of agricultural production on the effects of drought at the zonal and national levels.
By rehabilitating and expanding the irrigation infrastructure in Romania, are expected significant economic effects on the economic viability of farms, growth competitiveness of farmers as well as supporting the agricultural sector to meet the challenges of long-term effects of climate change, especially drought, and ensuring food stability and security in the face of unfavorable climatic factors. The Strategy provides a vision that will lead to substantial energy savings because the transport of water from the source to the pressure stations in the irrigation systems will be performed mainly by gravity and less by pumping, in these conditions the irrigation of the agricultural areas will be carried out with minimum expenses. The realization of the new irrigation systems will lead to: (a) capitalizing at a higher level the agro-productive potential; (b) ensuring safe and high yield of agricultural crops; (c) reducing the negative effects of some limiting environmental factors (prolonged droughts, soil erosion); and (d) improving the microclimate, by avoiding soil degradation and supporting growth of vegetation in the irrigated area.