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The aim of this work is to evaluate the sustainability of water management for agriculture in a specific territory through the creation of a synthetic index resulting from the aggregation of multiple indices (environmental, economic, and social). The resulting synthetic index can be used to set sustainability standards and to guide the choices mandated by the Common Agricultural Policy 2023–2027. In this work we intend to show how the Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method facilitates a complex process such as establishing a degree of sustainability in a certain area and, therefore, provides support to national or regional policies and communities. The integration of MCDA and GIS increases the efficiency of the support activity. A case study is presented evaluating the level of sustainability in the Irrigation and Reclamation Consortium of Piacenza and Emilia Centrale, in the Emilia Romagna region.

SIGRIAN (National Information System for Agriculture Water Management) is a web GIS platform developed and managed by the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Centre for Politics and Bio economics (CREA-PB). This GEOdatabase is operating since 1998 and recently it has been established by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture (MIPAAF) as the reference repository for the irrigation data collection at national scale. SIGRIAN collects both geographical information concerning the hydraulic network schemes of the national water boards (Consortia and Water Associations) and information technically and economically related to the management of water resources in agriculture. SIGRIAN will be used as database for economic evaluations to address policy related to water resources in agriculture and to support the assessment of optimal water resource allocation.

Water sustainability in agriculture is the main topic of this review. However, moving from studies carried out at worldwide level, the main focus of the paper is the Mediterranean farm which practices irrigated and/or rainfed cropping systems. On the basis of the state of the art on this matter, a lack of knowledge in some areas has come to light that calls for new policies and further research. Basically, the review provides feasible agro-technical solutions for using water in the most efficient and productive way. Alternative ways to use water resources rationally in growing crops are discussed. They are based mainly on progress due to agronomy (No-Till Conservation Agriculture), information technology (Decision Support System and Precision Irrigation) and genetics. Agronomic options are analysed taking into account recent European agricultural and environmental trends of policies which conjugate the issues related to sustainability and production intensification. In perspective, the review encourages discussion on how to relocate farming systems within natural cycles, specifically those of the water cycle, based on No-Till Conservation Agriculture principles and practices which apply to all land-based agro-ecologies in all continents where agriculture is practiced.

A recent work carried out by CREA (ex INEA) compared spatial analysis of the main problems concerning the use of water resources for irrigation in Italian River basin districts (RBD) with the policy measures for water resources and agriculture, in order to verify the relevance of planning to address specific regional sensitivities. The bases for the policy analysis was River basin management plans (RBMPs), in updating, and proposal of Regulation for rural development, not yet approved at the time. The spatial and statistical analysis was done, for each Italian RBD, through cluster analysis method using specific indicators, calculated using quantifiable and comparable public database (ISTAT, ISPRA, SIGRIAN) and representing qualitative and quantitative pressures on waters and environmental constraint. The aim of this work is the updating of spatial analysis, with reference to recently approved RBMPs and new regional RDPs 2014-2020, based on the Regulation for rural development 1305/2013. The update of the work involves the use of additional indicators through the analysis of new data made available by the updating of RBMPs such as, for example, the qualitative and quantitative status of water bodies. Moreover, it is now possible to know the real measures put in place by each RDP, instead of possible measures to activate, and so to verify the real match between policies. Finally, the cluster analysis was conducted at national level instead of at RBD level, so that the magnitude of indicators is the same for all RBD and, then, comparable. The preliminary results of the updating, show a different variability of clusters trough national territory, with lower variability in Central and Southern Italy and higher variability in Northern Italy.