Irrigation in Portugal and in Europe as a Whole
José Nuncio.
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Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your experience and how you came to be in your current position.
24 | IRRIGATION LEADER | October 2020
José Nuncio: I have always had a connection to agriculture. I was born into a family of farmers with a special dedication to irrigation. I have a degree in agronomy from the the University of Lisbon’s School of Agriculture and a postgraduate degree in water, environment, and development, focusing on water supply and drainage, from the science and technology department of the University of Coimbra. I began my professional career in 1990, working in a regional agricultural development company. I later moved to a position providing technical services to the Association of Forestry Producers of Coruche, and in 1997, I joined the ARBVS as its deputy director. Currently, I am the president of FENAREG and IE, a member of the European Union of Water Management Associations, the director of the Euro-Mediterranean Irrigators Community, the director of the Confederation of irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOSÉ NUNCIO.
osé Nuncio plays an important role in irrigation both in Portugal and on the wider European level. Within Portugal, he is the president of the Sorraia Valley Irrigators and Water Users Association (Associação de Regantes e Beneficiários do Vale do Sorraia, ARBVS) as well as the president of the National Federation of Portuguese Irrigators (Federação Nacional de Regantes de Portugal, FENAREG), and the director of the Confederation of Portuguese Farmers. On the European level, he is the president of Irrigators of Europe (Irrigants d’Europe, IE), an international association of irrigation water management entities. In this interview, he tells Irrigation Leader about the ARBVS, the broader landscape of Portuguese irrigation, and why it is important to advocate for irrigated agriculture on the pan-European level as well.
