We are pleased to announce the 3rd International Conference of the Valencian Water Court. This conference is a forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas, experiences, opinions and research results relating to traditional irrigation evolving landscapes.

General information & topics

Practitioners and academics from all over the world are encouraged to present their latest research and applied experiences for workshop exchanges. The program committee encourages the submission of articles that communicate research findings, but also practicals experiences for exchange activities bringing irrigatiors and reasearchers together to exchange knowledge and co-create future collaboration opportunities.

The conference will also feature a mini film festival on water and society, an exhibition devoted to Mediterranean hydraulic heritage, and technical visits focusing on the heritage of the Valencian Huerta and its surroundings.

The scientific committee encourages the submission of articles that communicate research and empirical findings of interest to irrigation professionals. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following topic areas:

Topics of interest:

• Cultural, Territorial and Hydraulic Heritage
  Protection and enhancement of acequias, huertas, canals, khettaras, foggaras and historic water landscapes.
• History and Evolution of Irrigation Systems
  Creation, maintenance and transformation of historic irrigation systems and their relationship with cities.
• Hydraulic Communities and Institutional Orders
  Collective governance and the historical and contemporary relationships of hydraulic communities with the state, markets and public policies.
• Tradinnovation: Between Tradition and Modernity
  Technical and social innovations adapted to traditional and gravity-fed irrigation systems.
• International Recognition and Dynamic Conservation of Traditional Irrigation Systems
  GIAHS, commons governance, agricultural heritage and rural development.
• Acequias, Khettaras and Foggaras: Comparative Experiences
  Surface- and groundwater systems, their forms of management and contemporary challenges.
• Traditional Irrigation, Rivers and River Restoration
  Water commons, water justice and participatory management at river-basin level.
• Communication, Education and the Transmission of Hydraulic Heritage
  Films, documentaries, exhibitions and other tools for communicating water knowledge and cultures.
• Productive Alternatives and the Future of Irrigated Territories
  Economic sustainability, continuity of agricultural activity and policies supporting the future of hydraulic communities.

Call for papers

Authors are invited to submit full papers for consideration to be included in the program of the conference. Only original papers describing previously unpublished research, not currently under review by another conference or journal, can be submitted.

All papers will be peer-reviewed by the scientific committee. Papers must be written in Spanish, English or French. Papers should have a maximum length of 6 pages, including the title page, which contains the title, abstract, and keywords, and also the main text, references, figures, and tables.

The submission of the full papers is required by 15 December 2026. Further information about practical submission arrangements will be provided shortly.

Call for workshops

Authors are invited to submit an abstract with practical experiences to be share in workshops bringing irrigators, practitioners and researchers to figure out what is possible and what is needed, from those perspectives and co-create future collaboration opportunities.

All abstracts will be peer-reviewed by the scientific committee. Abstracts must be written in Spanish, English or French.

The submission of abstracts is required by 15 December 2026. Further information about practical submission arrangements will be provided shortly.

Publications

All accepted papers and abstracts will appear in the conference proceedings with a DOI and ISBN number. They will be published in open access by UPV Press.