Drought events in Hungary and farmers’ attitudes towards sustainable irrigation

Abstract

Among the different forms of agricultural damage in Hungary, drought poses a remarkably high risk according to the reported drought events, the area affected, and the level of mitigation payments. This study explores drought damage based on the 2018–2020 data of the Hungarian Agricultural Risk Management System. Owing to eligibility criteria, slightly more than half of the members of the scheme who reported drought damage received mitigation payments, but for them, the value of compensation significantly exceeded the mitigation contribution. According to our results, most of the damaged areas were outside the impact areas of water supply systems or were within the impact area but on non-irrigated fields, which proved that irrigation could be an effective drought mitigation tool. To avoid drought damage, irrigation development is essential, and special attention should be paid to the territory of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county. This area suffered significant drought damage in the years examined, and currently the impact area of the surface water-based water supply systems is small, while the groundwater resources are already overexploited. At the same time, the risk management system should be modified to transform it into a preventive system which encourages farmers to use water retentive soil cultivation methods, appropriate cropping systems, sustainable water management, and efficient and reasonable levels of irrigation. Accordingly, fewer mitigation benefits would be paid through less drought damage. Based on questionnaire surveys, farmers are open to using water retention practices and sustainable irrigation management.