RONDA, Spain (Reuters) - In the parched countryside of southern Spain, just an hour's drive inland from the resorts of Marbella, Manuel Montesinos' flock of sheep grazes on what dry grass it can find after a prolonged nation-wide drought.

       With Spain heading to the polls for a general election on July 23, the 39-year-old shepherd wants politicians to come to the countryside and see its problems for themselves.

       "They should spend some time here to see how we live and what we need, and then make laws based on that knowledge," Montesinos told Reuters.

       "It's tough because the water springs that normally never dry up in summer are drying up this year," he added. "There isn't much food this year either, as with the drought the grass hasn't grown and many plants haven't flowered."

       Spain's reservoirs are at below 45% of their total capacity, official data shows. In the Mediterranean basin of Andalusia, where Montesinos lives, they are, on average, just 31% full.

       Water management has become a hot topic in the campaign, with farmers and industries competing for an increasingly scarce resource while climate change generates hotter summers and drier winters. The conservative People's Party, which is leading polls, has promised to pump billions of euros into water infrastructure.

       The lack of water forces Montesinos to keep his flock of about 800 sheep in the few places where they can drink, instead of greener pastures where they can find more nourishment.

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       To supplement their diet, he buys commercial feed, the cost of which has gone up four or five times in the past few years, while his sheep still sell for the same price.

       Flanked by his loyal sheep dog Paquera and mastiff Terry as they stroll near train tracks, Montesinos points out with his staff a path where there used to be large puddles.

       "We'd usually build a wooden walkway to cross, but not this year," he says. "Now you can just walk over it and you don't even get wet."

       Whoever wins the election, he adds, should "pay a bit more attention to farmers".

       (Reporting by Jon Nazca; Writing by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip, Alexandra Hudson)