The European Smart Green Water project held its Transnational Webinar on 25 September 2026, dedicated to the digitalisation of irrigation in south-western Europe. The event brought together around 80 participants from Spain, France, Portugal and other territories interested in innovation, sustainable water management and the modernisation of irrigation systems.
The welcome session featured Judith Carmona, regional councillor and president of the Agriculture Commission of the Occitanie Region, and Gregorio Dávila Díaz, deputy head of the Environmental Sustainability Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Public policy perspectives on the digitalisation of irrigation
The programme included a session devoted to public policies related to the digitalisation of irrigation in Portugal, Spain and France. Sofia Vale, deputy director of Portugal’s Direção-Geral de Agricultura e Desenvolvimento Rural; Carlos Garrido, director of the Centro Nacional de Tecnología de Regadíos (CENTER); and Astrid Tarteret, head of the “Partageons l’eau” programme at the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, presented the main lines of action and the challenges in each country.
The presentations enabled a comparison of national approaches and underlined the importance of promoting digital solutions that help improve water-use efficiency, facilitate decision-making and strengthen agriculture’s adaptation to the effects of climate change.
From strategy to action
Joan Lloret, Smart Green Water project manager at the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, and Ricard Poch Massegú, responsible for the implementation of regulations on agricultural areas at the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia, then presented the Smart Green Water Transnational Strategy and its evolution from the initial diagnosis to the definition of an action plan.
The strategy aims to foster cooperation between the participating territories and to provide a common framework for the development of tools and measures geared towards more efficient, sustainable and adapted management of water resources for irrigation.
Digital tools for irrigators
The webinar also presented the Smart Green Water Platform, designed to offer practical tools and resources to irrigators. The session featured:
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Pilar Montesinos, agricultural engineer and professor of Hydraulic Engineering at the University of Cordoba.
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Emma Egea, head of European projects at Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation.
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Francesc Camps, researcher specialising in water governance at the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA).
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Javier Alejandre, technician at the Unión de Pequeños Agricultores y Ganaderos (UPA), specialising in the Common Agricultural Policy, renewable energies and agricultural insurance.
The presentations addressed the platform’s functionalities and its usefulness in supporting sector professionals in water management and in incorporating digital solutions into agricultural activities.
A strategy adapted to the sector’s needs
The programme concluded with a round table entitled “Adapting the strategy to farmers’ needs”, featuring João Gonçalo Morais Tristão, president of the Board of the Centro Operativo e de Tecnologia de Regadio; Laurent Fombeur, head of irrigation water management at the Regional Chamber of Agriculture of Nouvelle-Aquitaine; and Javier Alejandre, from UPA.
The debate made it possible to share farmers’ needs, the conditions for facilitating the adoption of digital tools and the importance of developing solutions that are accessible, useful and tailored to the realities of the different territories.
The event was closed by Xavier Bernard-Sans, secretary general of the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion, who emphasised the value of transnational cooperation in progressing towards more sustainable and innovative water management in agriculture.