Insuring Water Supply in Irrigated Agriculture: A Proposal for Hydrological Drought Index-Based Insurance in Spain

In Mediterranean-climate regions, irrigated agriculture is especially vulnerable to the risk of hydrological drought and irrigators are particularly concerned about its negative effects. During a hydrological drought episode, irrigators receive insufficient water to meet their crops’ water needs, giving rise to the so-called ‘water supply gap’. In such circumstances, agricultural production and irrigators’ incomes are considerably reduced. In order to minimize the negative effects associated with water supply gaps, a new index-based drought insurance scheme for irrigation is proposed, linked to the variable ‘stock of water available in reservoirs’. The proposal, although tailored to Spain, could be easily adapted to other countries or regions because the features of hydrological drought risk are similar worldwide. It is expected that the proposed scheme will improve drought risk management in irrigated agriculture, stabilizing irrigators’ incomes and guaranteeing the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the face of global change.