Exploring Irrigation Water Issue Through Quantitative SWOT Analysis: The Case of Nestos River Basin

The irrigation sector in Greece has been recognized as the major consumer of water and, at the same time, a precondition of agricultural production. Impacts of agricultural practices on water quality and quantity are many and varied. This paper proposes a typology approach of irrigation water management problems in Nestos river basin, North Greece. A novel quantitative SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis is recommended for identifying the internal and external factors that influence the irrigation sector. Specifically, a double-round Delphi-type interactive survey method has been employed to rank and quantify environmental impacts of water use in agriculture sector, according to the literature, as well as a previous qualitative research conducted in the region. An independent group comprised of 20 experts engaged in irrigation water issues (academics, policy directors, business executives, and selected farmers) was invited to asses and rank all factors, identified by the SWOT. After experts’ ranking, they were invited, in a second round, to propose potential policy implications for the major weaknesses and threats which emerged from the SWOT analysis. The results from this approach could be a tool for assisting the formulation of strategy in water management sector.