This research estimates the economic losses at the farm level caused by groundwater over-exploitation and by seawater intrusion. The problem of coastal groundwater salinity was tackled by considering its hydrological, agronomic and economic aspects. Economic analysis for competitive use vs. regulated management regimes was carried out, considering constant and adaptive watering techniques. We concentrate on the farmers’ perspective of water as an input in agriculture, and assess discounted net present value over a period of 30 years. The ultimate goal of this research is to raise the awareness of farmers and policy makers by demonstrating the economic impacts (from the farmer’s point of view) of over-exploitation. Our findings for Apulia Region (Southern Italy) indicate that the slowness of the long-term effect of salinity and the ability of farmers to adapt irrigation profiles suggest broadening the perspective of policy intervention. For an effective management of this common resource, policy makers should follow a more comprehensive approach based on economic analysis.

这项研究估计了地下水过度开发和海水入侵对农场造成的经济损失。通过考虑其水文，农艺和经济方面解决了沿海地下水盐度问题。考虑了持续和自适应的浇水技术，对竞争性使用与管制管理制度进行了经济分析。我们着眼于农民将水作为农业投入的观点，并评估了30年期间的折现净现值。这项研究的最终目的是通过证明过度开发的经济影响（从农民的角度来看）来提高农民和决策者的意识。我们对普利亚大区（意大利南部）的发现表明，盐度长期影响的缓慢性和农民适应灌溉状况的能力暗示了政策干预的广阔视野。为了有效管理这种公共资源，政策制定者应遵循基于经济分析的更全面的方法。