Geography
Portugal is one of the oldest countries in Europe and the world, founded in 1143. The area of Portugal is 92,226 Km2, including the mainland, Continental Portugal, with 89,102 Km2, and two insular regions, Madeira, 802 Km2, and Azores, 2,322 Km2. The current borders of Mainland Portugal were established by the Treaty of Alcañices, between the Kingdoms of Portugal and Castilla, in 1297. The Portuguese possession of the insular territories is recognized since the 15th century. Mainland Portugal is located between the 6º-9º of longitude west and the 37º-42º of latitude north in the south-westernmost point of continental Europe. Influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, which washes the western and southern coasts, it is also indirectly affected by the Mediterranean Sea in the southern region of the country.

Population and land use
Portugal’s resident population is 10.3 Million (end of 2018), 95% of whom live on the mainland (9.8 Million). The mainland population is unevenly scattered over the country’s 89,102 Km2: while overall population density is 110 inhabitants/Km2, the 5 regions vary from 22 inhab./Km2 in the South (Alentejo) to 168 inhab./Km2 in the North. Lisbon Metropolitan Area has the highest population density (944 inhab./Km2), with total area of 3,015 Km2 and 2.8 million people resident (2018). In 2016, 79% of the Mainland Portugal’s territory corresponded to predominantly rural regions (OECD methodology), while the percentage of population living in these regions was 31%, meaning a population density of 45 inhab./Km2. In 2015, land use in Mainland Portugal was as follows: 36% of forest, 24% of agriculture, 31% of bush and grassland, 5% of urban and 4% of unproductive land and inland waters.

Climate and rainfall
Mainland Portugal has a Mediterranean temperate climate with a dry summer. It is divided in two climatic regions: the northern and western coastal regions, influenced by the Atlantic sea, and the interior central and southern regions. The first type is described as Csb (temperate climate with dry and mild summer) and the latter as Csa (temperate climate with dry and hot summer). On the archipelago of the Azores prevails the types Csb and Cfb (temperate with no dry season and with a mild summer); Csa type on the archipelago Madeira. On the mainland, the mean annual temperature varies between 7ºC in the central interior hills to 18ºC on the South coast. The mean monthly temperature records a maximum high in July and August (21.8ºC) and a minimum low in January (8.8ºC). The highest mean monthly values for maximum air temperature are observed in the northern and central interior regions and in the Alentejo region during the months of July and August (above 30º C). The lowest mean monthly values for minimum air temperature occur in the central interior hills in December, January and February (-1ºC). The lowest value of minimum air temperature ever registered was -16,0°C, on Penhas da Saúde (central mountains), on 04/02/1954, and the higher maximum air temperature was + 47,3°C, in Amareleja (Alentejo), on 01/08/2003. The rainfall on the Mainland Portugal varies greatly in space and in time. The mean annual rainfall is about 950 mm. The lowest values (<600mm) occur in the South-east and in a small area of the North-east and the values greater than 1500 mm occur on the North coast and in the hills of interior regions of the North and Centre. On the North-west the mean annual rainfall practically duplicates the average for the Mainland Portugal, whereas the values for the South regions are significantly lower (about 63% to 64% of the Mainland Portugal average). Mean rainfall distribution in the year is markedly non-uniform: about 75% to 80% is concentrated in the wet semester (October-March).

Food and agriculture
In Portugal (2016), farms represent about half of the territory area (4,626,000 ha). The total utilised agricultural area, with 3,641,690 ha, comprises 29% of arable lands (1,043,298 ha), 52% of permanent grasslands (1,876,943 ha), 19% of permanent crops (705,120 ha) and 0.4% of kitchen gardens (16,331 ha). It corresponds to 258,983 producers, 95% of them are sole holders (natural persons) and 4.4% are group holdings. The average farm size is 14 ha, varying from 7 ha on the North and Centre mainland regions to 59 ha on the South (Alentejo). The holdings larger than 50 ha (4% of the total), represent more than 2/3 of the UAA, while the small-sized farms, which prevail (72%), correspond to 9% of the UAA. In 2018, the main crops were as follows: 32% of olive trees; 20% of cereals; 16% of vineyards; 14% of fruits; 11% of fodder crops; and 7% of vegetables, potato and others. The most representative (in area) irrigated crops are olive trees, maize, rice and fresh fruits. Regarding livestock in 2016, the total number of sheep and lambs was 2.2 million head (36.5%), pigs 1.9 million (31.1%), cattle and calves 1.6 million (26%) and goats 0.4 million (6.5%). The total poultry was around 10 million animals in 2019. In 2018, the agri-food complex accounted for 3.4% of the Gross Domestic Product, 7.9% of the exports and, in 2019, for 5% of the total employment.

Water resources management
Annual water availability in Portugal is estimated to be 47,840 million m3 (surface water), or 32,077 million m3, not considering Spain affluences. The useable fraction of these resources is 9,759 million m3 and corresponds to the useful storage provided by more than a hundred large dams existing in the 8 river basin districts (Mainland Portugal). However, only 9% (4,557 million m3) of the total water availability is used to meet the demand for socio-economic activities, where agriculture represents 74% of the abstractions, which corresponds to 7% (3,390 million m3) of the total volume of the annual water availability. The other sectors (domestic, industry and tourism) represent a consumption of 1,167 million m3. The largest agricultural demands occur in the Tejo, Douro, Mondego, Guadiana and Sado regions. The demand for this water is concentrated in the driest period of the year.

Irrigation and drainage
Private collective irrigation projects comprise 51,000 ha (2016). Public collective irrigation schemes (243,592 ha, in 2019) were constructed since the 1930s decade of the 20th Century until nowadays, including 120,000 ha of the Alqueva Multipurpose Project. There are 249,155 ha of private non collective irrigable areas. There is an irrigable area of 4,092 ha in the archipelago of Madeira. In the Azores, despite its oceanic climate, there are small public schemes, which distribute water to farms and livestock (area not accounted). The total area of irrigable areas in mainland is 543,745 ha and in Portugal is 547,838 ha (2016). Irrigation water consumption decreased by 48.2% in 14 years, between 2002 (6,540 million m3) and 2016 (3,390 million m3), due to: the investments in rehabilitation and modernization of the old perimeters; and the conversion of surface (85% in 1989; 32% in 2009) to pressurized irrigation systems (15% in 1989; 68% in 2009), namely sprinkler (160,883 ha) and micro-irrigation (157,679 ha). Most of these irrigable areas have also surface drainage schemes, with large surface networks and pumping stations (20). Regarding to subsurface drainage systems, the area equipped with drains is 1,040 ha.

Water governance
The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) is a public institute, within the scope of the Portuguese Ministry of the Environment and Energy Transition, which is responsible for water policy design and implementation. The Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DGADR) is a public agency of the Ministry of the Agriculture that is responsible for irrigation policy implementation. There are other different bodies, public and private, regional or centralized, that take part in water and irrigation governance system, responsible for (or participating in) normative actions, planning and management, licensing, supervision, inspection and research. The Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (here) establishes the framework for the action in the field of water policy, aiming to ensure that European Union member states and EU citizens are committed to ensure the good quality and management of water bodies. It was transposed to Portuguese legal system in 2005 and was amended in 2012 (here). There is also a Portuguese legal framework for public irrigation (here).

ICID and National Committee
Portugal joined the ICID in the year 1954 and established Portuguese National Committee (PNCID). Mr. J.F. Rebelo Pinto (1962-65) and Dr. L.S. Pereira (1987-90) were past Vice Presidents of ICID. The Portuguese National Committee is actively represented by Mr. Pedro da Cunha Serra in the European Regional Working Group of ICID. Portuguese National Committee hosted the 2nd European Regional Conference in 1964. Eng. Gonçalo de Freitas Leal is the current President of the Portuguese National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (PNCID).