Partners to Support Moldova in Restoring Irrigation

Moldova, with the support of the World Bank, the French Development Agency and the EBRD, is implementing a major programme to rehabilitate centralized irrigation systems. This will allow the country to irrigate nearly 21,000 additional hectares of farmland.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Moldova currently uses only 35,000 ha of existing irrigation infrastructure — compared to 180–190 thousand ha in previous decades. In 2025, 9,000 ha were irrigated from centralized systems, and another 6,000 ha from small-scale systems.

Key Projects.

• World Bank – $25 million for three systems (Corjeuți–Tețcani, Tudora–Caplani, Alexandru Ioan Cuza–Etulia) → +8,000 ha.
• French Development Agency (AFD) – financing feasibility studies for two systems → +3,000 ha.
• EBRD – rehabilitation of systems in Căușeni, Gotești and Puhăceni → +9,800 ha.

In total – almost 21,000 ha of new irrigated land.

The Ministry also supported the expansion of small-scale irrigation systems, adding 3,700 ha in 2025.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research (IDR)

The rehabilitation of Moldova’s irrigation systems is a key step for adapting agriculture to climate change. For the Lower Danube region, this is particularly important due to recurring droughts, declining water availability and growing pressure on water resources.

Investments in irrigation:

-         strengthen farmers’ resilience to climate risks;

-         increase the competitiveness of local agriculture;

-         support stable agri-food supply chains across Moldova–Ukraine–Romania;

-         create preconditions for joint cross-border water management projects.

IDR notes that integrated water management and the modernization of irrigation systems should become a priority within regional cooperation in the Danube Basin. This opens new opportunities for synergy with EU programmes, including Interreg, the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) and sustainable water-use initiatives.