Water Resource Management in Larisa: A “Tragedy of the Commons?”

The commons are natural or man-made resources that due to non-excludability and subtractability face serious risks of overexploitation, mismanagement, or even destruction, the so-called “tragedy of the commons”. Groundwater is a typical example of such a resource. Drawing on the framework developed by the 2009 Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom, this research explores issues of collective management of groundwater using Larissa area, one of the most important agricultural areas of Greece, as a case study. More specifically, the paper assesses empirically the possibility of user-based management of groundwater used for irrigation purposes. This is done through a survey which explores, inter alia, the views of local stakeholders on the intensity of the water problem, the irrigation practices, and the existence of trust-based social relations between the farmers, which are seen as essential for the development of successful, long-enduring, user-based governance solutions. The research finds that farmers are rather reserved toward the possibility of groundwater self-management, which may be due to lack of trust both among them and toward the other players in the field. On these grounds, it seems that the most appropriate solution would be to create an independent coordinative body with multiple responsibilities and powers.