In Italy, the agricultural development has been strongly linked to the access to water and the irrigated cropping systems have always been an important sectorin terms of income and employment.

The realization of a new "Atlas of Italian irrigation systems" updated to 2011 done by INEA after the first one in 1965 provides important considerations on the water sector evolution, considering also the critical issues and the potentialities for the future. The publication in the same years of the 150th anniversary of the Unity of Italy is not a coincidence, because irrigation accompanied the hystory of the Country and it  is one of the major National issues considered a priority by the Italian government since the early years of the Unity of the Country.

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