Farmers’ profiles and behaviours toward desalinated seawater for irrigation: Insights from South-east Spain

In South-east Spain the implementation of desalinated seawater for irrigation was planned as an alternative water supply for farmers. However, most high-volume desalination plants are underused as farmers’ current demands are lower than was previously expected. In order to develop programmes promoting an effective behavioural shift of farmers toward desalinated water, it is necessary to first explore their preferences and attitudes. This paper shows the results of a survey examining the attitudes and behaviour of farmers toward the use of desalinated seawater for irrigation in the South-east of Spain. The results show the existence of different farmer typologies regarding desalinated seawater use, as well as their preferences and attitudes. The main finding of this study has been to identify further factors, besides price, that condition the acceptance of the use of desalinated seawater. Finally, a series of measures are proposed to encourage the use of desalinated seawater for irrigation based on the identified profiles. The insights gained from this study could be useful for other regions where the construction of desalination plants has been planned as a measure to increase the availability of irrigation water. •Farmers’ attitudes and behaviours toward desalinated seawater are explored.•A typology of farmers according to their use of desalinated seawater is developed.•Factors for the adoption of desalinated seawater for irrigation are identified.•A huge gap between farmers’ perceptions and scientific evidence is detected.•Strategies to increase the use of desalinated seawater are recommended.