Résumé
Irrigation is a central feature of agriculture in Mediterranean countries. During the twentieth century, and more specifically after World War II, most states have invested massively in large-scale dams, interbasin transfers, and public irrigation schemes. More recently, farmers have capitalized on increasingly cheap pumping devices to tap groundwater, whether in conjunction with surface water or not, and the introduction of pressurized networks has come to constitute a major technological change in the region. This chapter first reviews the changing relationships between irrigation and the wider water sector as scarcity builds up, and ponders on the respective prospects for both supply-and demand-management options. It then takes stocks on recent technical and institutional changes in the irrigation sector before turning to the importance of economic dimensions and context. Finally irrigation is analyzed in terms of policy and political process, and of its relationship with other sectors, while the final section explores the challenges posed by water overexploitation, environmental degradation and climate change.