“Every action involving water management requires effective cooperation between multiple actors whether at the local or international scale.”
-UN Water, World Water Day 2013
With the largest number of tropical glaciers in the world [10] and an average annual rainfall of up to 150 inches in parts of Peru, water scarcity is arguably not the root cause of the country’s H2O woes [11]. Instead, determining in which direction the water flows, how water is treated and managed, and who lays claim to the water supply gets at the heart of the issue.
Peru’s water situation has resulted in the polarization of different societal groups including mining and oil companies, the agricultural exporting industry, small subsistence farmers and your average Peruvian looking to quench her thirst. They are involved in a national tug-of-war for greater water access as the country increasingly relies on agricultural exports, and battles the environmental impacts of climate change and urbanization. Making matters worse is the disproportionality of water resources. For instance, approximately 55% of the population lives in the coastal region of Peru, to which only 2% of the country’s water flows [11].
In light of World Water Day [12] and its 2013 theme, Water Cooperation, it is important to recognize individuals like Rodrigo Ponce [13] who are working towards bridging the societal gaps exacerbating the water conflict in Peru. An environmental activist and 2012 Community Solutions Program (CSP) [14] Leader, Ponce works closely with local councils, farmers, business owners, environmental groups and university students in and around the Amazonian city of Tarapoto. Although he recognizes that many factors contribute to the barriers that prevent access to clean water in the Amazon, Ponce focuses his energy on training farmers on sustainable agricultural techniques such as rainwater harvesting – a concept he decided to incorporate into his work back home during his time on the CSP fellowship in Oakland, California. According to Ponce, “one of the main issues is unsustainable farming practices, which is a result of a lack of education on issues related to water sustainability and resource management.”
Ponce believes that working with a variety of actors who share a common goal can help Peru achieve water sustainability. To this end, he is also bringing together small business owners in the Amazon to promote alternatives to farming practices that often result in deforestation, poor water management and mineral runoff. Through his work with the Community-Based Tourism Association of Peru, Ponce has begun to establish a series of edible gardens, producing crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic and chives as an alternative to corn and bean farming, the methods for which often require unsustainable agricultural techniques like slash-and-burn. He is also helping community members build their capacities to create ecotourism companies and honey farms, two initiatives that have promising business potential with minimal impact on the environment and water supply.
Through his experience with CSP, Ponce has been able to expand the scope of his work and incorporate a participatory approach to farming and water management that was not necessarily a part of his repertoire prior to the fellowship. Moving forward he will be focusing more efforts on educating youth on issues related to environmental and water sustainability. As Ponce remarked, “youth aren’t really present in the decision-making. If you really want to make a change you need to work with youth.”