Evolution and sustainability of groundwater use from the Ica aquifers for the most profitable agriculture in Peru

Fernández-Escalante, Enrique; Foster, Stephen; Navarro-Benegas, Roberto

Evolution and sustainability of groundwater use from the Ica aquifers for the most profitable agriculture in Peru | Evolution et durabilité de l’utilisation de l’eau des aquifères d’Ica en vue de l’agriculture la plus rentable au Pérou Sostenibilidad y evolución del uso del agua subterránea de los acuíferos de Ica para la agricultura más beneficiosa del Perú 维系秘鲁最赚钱农业的Ica含水层中地下水利用的演变和可持续性 Evolução e sustentabilidade do uso da água subterrânea dos aquíferos Ica para a agricultura mais rentável do Peru

2020

Fernández-Escalante, Enrique | Foster, Stephen | Navarro-Benegas, Roberto

The Ica area of south-eastern Peru has evolved rapidly since the late 1990s into the most advanced agricultural development in the country. The intensive use of waterwells for year-round irrigation, primarily of asparagus, is the basis for an export industry worth about US$ 6,000 M/a, but one which is threatened by serious groundwater sustainability concerns. The public water-resource administration and private agricultural developers are beginning to confront the problem, which has already had a significant social cost, through developing measures to improve the groundwater balance whilst assuring agricultural production. This report presents the long-term evolution of land management and groundwater use in the area, and considers the feasibility of applying an adaptive and integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach to the system, with particular attention to managed aquifer recharge techniques.

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