regadío

Regadío is the term used in Spanish for the irrigation of agricultural land. It designates both the land that is irrigated and the network and practices used to supply water to crops. In contrast to secano, which relies mainly on rainfall, regadío enables cultivation in areas where rainfall is insufficient or irregular, allowing multiple cropping seasons and higher yields.

Irrigated land is typically served by engineered systems, including canals, pumps, risers, and drains. Water is allocated by water-user organizations such as comunidades de regantes, which manage distribution, metering, and maintenance within defined irrigation districts. Irrigation methods range from gravity-based canal and ditch systems to pressurized networks using sprinklers or drip irrigation, with choices depending on crop type, soil, climate, and water availability.

Regadío expansion has been decisive for agricultural development in arid regions, enabling staple crops and diversification. It also involves substantial capital and energy costs and can place stress on water resources and soils if mismanaged. Sustainable regadío practices emphasize efficient scheduling, monitoring, drip or micro-sprinkler technologies, proper drainage, soil salinity management, and integrated water resources planning with groundwater and surface water bodies.

Legal and administrative frameworks regulate water rights and allocation. In many Spanish-speaking regions, irrigation districts and asociaciones de regantes coordinate with regional or national authorities to ensure equitable distribution and maintenance of infrastructure.