1s5: Evaluating the performance of a Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS) prototype: first assessment of work productiv-ity and costs

Abstract

Global warming and climate change are threatening the effectiveness of agriculture in Mediterranean area, which is worldwide considered as a hotspot of climate change. In particular, increasing aridity and occurrence of extreme rainfall events can have detrimental effects on agriculture, therefore there is the strong need of increasing its resilience. One of the possible solutions to tackle this issue consists of applying rain water harvesting technology (RWH), and in particular Subsurface Water Retention System (SWRS). This last consists of applying an impermeable membrane in the root zone, preventing water loss via deep percolation in sandy soils.