The Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food is moving forward with €80 million in funding for the construction and modernization of small-scale public irrigation infrastructure and water management systems. The decision follows an official directive by Minister Margaritis Schinas.
This funding is drawn from resources previously allocated to organic livestock farming and organic beekeeping programs—reallocations announced earlier by Minister Schinas.
Eligible beneficiaries include regional authorities and municipalities across Greece. Each proposed project may receive up to €2.2 million, inclusive of VAT.
Key Objectives and Interventions
The initiative aims to improve agricultural water use efficiency by capturing winter runoff, upgrading irrigation networks, and reducing water losses. Specific interventions include:
- Modernization of existing irrigation networks and their supporting infrastructure;
- Refurbishment and replacement of electromechanical equipment;
- Water storage projects and associated irrigation networks;
- Energy-saving measures in irrigation systems;
- Procurement and installation of telemetry and precision agriculture systems;
- Use of treated wastewater for irrigation;
- Artificial groundwater recharge projects, including upgrades to wellfield networks.
The action is fully co-financed—100%—by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Greek state.
A pre-announcement of the call for proposals (Action P3-73-1.1: “Infrastructure Projects for Land Improvements”) has been issued to beneficiaries to support proposal preparation. It is published on the ministry’s official websites: agrotikianaptixi.gr and minagric.gr.