Contribución de las entidades de “Economía Social” a la gestión eficiente del agua para uso agrícola: situación en la Región de Murcia

Abstract

In the literature there are many works directed at characterizing those entities which form the “Social Economy” in Spain and at quantifying their contribution to the different economic sectors, especially the agricultural food sector. However, these works have not reflected the importance of these organizations for the management of a resource as fundamental for the agricultural sector as is water, and of the role of the agrarian associative entities (Agricultural Cooperatives and Agricultural Transformation Societies) and, above all, the Irrigation Communities (CCRR). Although scarcely mentioned as entities of “Social Economy” in the studies on this type of organizations, the Irrigation Communities have the priority function of efficiently distributing and administering the water assigned amongst their members. To that, other organizations widely recognised within the “Social Economy” can also make a contribution, as is the case with the Agricultural Cooperatives and Agricultural Transformation Societies (SAT). In this context, the objective of this paper is, on the one hand, to highlight that the CCRR share the principles of the “Social Economy” companies, and to underline their characteristics with regard to the Agricultural Cooperatives and SAT. On the other hand, the components of the efficiency in the management of water for agricultural use are identified and the contribution that the CCRR and the agrarian associative entities of the Region of Murcia make to improve them is analyzed.