Final Report Summary - PLEIADES (Participatory multi-Level EO-assisted tools for irrigation water management and agricultural Decision-Support) The PLEIADES project aimed to improve irrigation efficiency and promote sustainable use of water for food production in regions with limited water supply. The project proposed measures that considered economic, environmental, technical, social, and political dimensions through a synergy of innovative technologies and participatory approaches. Several case studies were examined, representing conditions in the Mediterranean and Latin America. Knowledge regarding agricultural water needs and consumption was generated and transferred to stakeholders and decision-makers. In addition, the benefits and threats of new technologies application were assessed. Finally, innovative sensor applications were combined with flexible, easily implemented decision support systems (DSS) for adaptive management, in order to develop tools which helped farmers to efficiently control water and to improve the environmental and economic performance of their irrigation systems. The proposed solutions were refined through collaboration with stakeholders, whose extensive participation was essential for the project success. The comprehensive space and time coverage of Earth observation (EO) data was combined with the interactive networking capabilities of information and communication technologies and the developed proposals were evaluated on site. Several pilot areas demonstrated potential for sustainable solution implementation after PLEIADES completion. The generated results were disseminated to end users and stakeholders, along with the outcomes of other relative European efforts. Among the project innovations was that useful information was offered to a wide range of stakeholders in a non-technical, easy to use, intuitive form that encouraged participation. The main exploitable outcome though was the system of participatory information, decision support and expert knowledge for irrigation and river basin water management' (SPIDER) and the services provided around it. SPIDER was open-source, available to users on a non-commercial license basis. Nevertheless, in order to avoid inappropriate use which could result in social inequalities, the system was proposed to continue being reviewed and transferred to third parties after PLEIADES completion. In that way responsible exploitation, in accordance with international cooperation policy goals, would be ensured. Related documents Final Report - PLEIADES (Participatory multi-Level EO-assisted tools for irrigation water management and agricultural Decision-Support)
