IRRIGATION ASSOCIATION

IACR - IRRIGATION ASSOCIATION OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

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ABOUT THE IRRIGATION ASSOCIATION

The main mission of the association is to strengthen cooperation between irrigation owners, operators and users, create tools to modernize outdated systems, ensure awareness of members and actively contribute to the expansion of irrigation in regions exposed to frequent droughts in connection with the provision of sufficient water resources. When it comes to the support of crops that require irrigation, it mainly concerns vegetables, fruit, vines and hops, where there is a need to increase the Czech Republic's self-sufficiency in these commodities, which are heavily dependent on imports.

The establishment of the Association responds to the urgent need to develop and modernize irrigation systems in the Czech Republic, as the dry season in 2014 and 2015 significantly damaged plant production and reduced the yields of a number of commodities. With regard to the expected development of the climate, accompanied by more frequent occurrences of drought and rising air temperatures (increased water evaporation), measures must be taken to reduce the consequences of these changes on agriculture.

The development, reconstruction and modernization of irrigation will be directed mainly to the regions exposed to drought the most and most often, where the use of irrigation has been preserved the most - South Moravia, the Žatec region, the Rakovník region, the Middle and Lower Elbe basin area. It should also be noted that other programmes of the Ministry of Agriculture are aimed at investments in water management infrastructure to ensure sufficient water sources, and within the framework of the Rural Development Programm, the construction of retention reservoirs to capture rainwater for their subsequent agricultural use, including irrigation, will be supported.