The Adour basin is located in south\u2011western France, within the Aquitaine Basin, and is classified as a Water Allocation Zone (ZRE), meaning that available water resources are structurally insufficient compared to demand. The territory covers approximately 17,000 km\u00b2, with around 1.08 million inhabitants and a strong presence of agricultural land, especially maize, soybean and other irrigated crops.<\/p>\n
\u200b<\/span> \u200b<\/span>Irrigation water management is organised around the Organisme Unique de Gestion Collective (OUGC) Irrigadour, which concentrates abstraction permits for agriculture within the ZRE. This body requests a Multi\u2011Annual Single Permit (AUP) from the authorities, under which it allocates volumes among users in an equitable way, taking into account the type of resource (river, aquifer, reservoir), the pedoclimatic context and crop groups.\u200b<\/span>
\nIts physical characteristics combine Pyrenean mountain areas, alluvial plains and extensive sandy soils, which strongly shape hydrological functioning and irrigation needs. Projected climate changes point to a progressive increase in temperature, a decrease in river flows, a significant reduction in snow cover and the occurrence of earlier, longer and more severe low\u2011flow periods, with consequences for aquifer recharge and the vulnerability of wetlands.\u200b<\/span><\/p>\nGovernance, permits and drought plans<\/h2>\n
\nPermits are linked to specific abstraction points and are reviewed annually within an Annual Allocation Plan (PAR), which incorporates consumption history, compliance with volume declarations and priority criteria (young farmers, new irrigators, etc.). In parallel, drought plans established by the administration (AOB and ACI) set discharge thresholds and alert levels (vigilance, alert, reinforced alert, crisis) that trigger progressive reductions in available volumes or even the suspension of irrigation.\u200b<\/span><\/p>\nTechnical, digital and agronomic strategies<\/h2>\n