Management of Water Resources in Agriculture in Chile and its Challenges

Guillermo Donoso

doi:10.7764/ijanr.v48i3.2328

Abstract

Water is a strategic resource for agricultural development, particularly in the arid and semiarid regions of central and northern Chile. Currently, irrigated surfaces contribute between 60 and 65% of the country’s agricultural GDP. Associated with Chile’s economic growth, total consumptive water use has increased, which, together with population growth, urbanization, water contamination and pollution, has led to important water stress situations that are triggering a greater number of conflicts and social, economic, and environmental vulnerability. The above phenomena will be exacerbated by climate change. At present, surface water deficit covering irrigation demands exists in the central and northern regions. This deficit is projected to increase as a result of climate change, which would increase the challenges for satisfying agricultural water requirements. The objective of this article is to integrally review the key aspects of Chilean water and agricultural water management policies, considering their interphases, providing the reader with a general overview of the main features of this model, an evaluation of its effectiveness and the main challenges agricultural water management faces. Resolving the challenges of the future requires a thorough reconsideration of water management policies and institutions and how water is managed in the agricultural sector in the broader context of overall water resource management in Chile.

Highlights

Water has always been a strategic resource for economic development, in the arid and semiarid regions of northern Chile
Irrigation is important in the Chilean agricultural sector and, in its contribution to the development of the country
It should be noted that the agricultural sector is the main economic sector in terms of the use of water resources, consuming 82% of the total consumptive water extraction at the national level (DGA, 2016)

Summary

Introduction

Water has always been a strategic resource for economic development, in the arid and semiarid regions of northern Chile. It is anticipated that the reduction in snow accumulation in the Andes will cause hydrological deregulation, increasing winter runoff and reducing its availability when required for irrigation (ODEPA, 2017). In other words, it will increase the deficit of surface water for irrigation; the importance of groundwater as a source of water for irrigation will grow. Fewer studies have analyzed agricultural water management policy and governance in Chile (e.g., PalermViqueira, 2010; ODEPA, 2012, 2017; Martin & Saavedra, 2018) This partial treatment of water policy and management issues has led to an incomplete and piecemeal analysis of the various challenges at stake. The paper ends with a discussion of the lessons learned and the challenges for water management in agriculture

Irrigation in Chile

Institutional framework for water resources

Regulatory and institutional framework for irrigation

Findings

Performance and Challenges of Water Resource Management in Agriculture