The overall goal of our project is to develop stakeholder-driven land use and water management tools, using local and remotely sensed data within a planning framework that will lead to socially, economically and ecologically sustainable agricultural and resource development in the region. The expected impact of this research on the Arequipa Region will be economic growth and improved health, through the fair access to safe and secure water resources and a management framework that respects the needs and preferences of the local stakeholders.

Co-Principal Investigators

• Edwin Bocardo Delgado - ebocardo@unsa.edu.pe
  Professor in Biology and Environmental Science, Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa
• Laura Bowling - bowling@purdue.edu
  Professor in the Department of Agronomy, Purdue University

Team Members

• Larry Biehl - Information Technology at Purdue, Purdue University
  • Project member 2018-2020. Assisted with developing a mechanism (ERDAS Apollo) to have an up-to-date catalog of the geospatial dates (and supporting documents) for SWM and the NEXUS project. He also assisted with the development of image dates for the Arequipa region.


• Jingqiu Chen - Agricultural engineer in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University
• Focuses on model-based analyses and stakeholder engagement for developing locally-adapted water and soil management tools for irrigation.


• Keith Cherkauer - Hydroclimatologist, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University
• Facilitates the integration of field-based observations, remote sensing products and hydrology models to address questions and concerns related to environmental change and to further understanding of land-atmosphere interactions and the hydrologic cycle.


• Fariborz Daneshvar - Agricultural engineer in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University
  • Project member 2018-2020. Developed regional-scale hydrologic models and evaluated ecohydrological impacts of land management, water regulation, and climate change at the watershed scale.


• Bernard Engel - Agricultural engineer, Associate Dean of Research, College of Agriculture, Purdue University
• Advises the team in development of crop water use tools with a focus of enhancing farmer livelihood.


• Anna Erwin - Natural resources social scientist, Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
  • Contributes to data collection, data analysis, and writing for Objective 1. She also conducts logistics in Peru and idea generation for Objective 3, supporting the analytical synthesis between Objective 1 and Objective 3.


• Jane Frankenberger - Extension agricultural engineer, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University
  • Seeks to enhance the use of watershed modeling to address water management issues in the Arequipa region through SWAT model training and collaborative application of SWAT to critical watershed planning questions.


• Margaret Gitau - Agricultural engineer in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University
• Project member 2018-2019.


• Jose Herrera - Systems and information engineering, Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa
• Project member 2018-2019.


• Zhao Ma - Natural resources social scientist, Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
• Lead for Objective 1 of the project, who works alongside Purdue post-doctoral researchers and UNSA collaborators to understand and assess the institutional landscape of water governance in four communities in the Arequipa province, with a focus on the ways water has been used and managed by different actors in the region.


• Katy Mazer - SWM Project Coordinator, Purdue University
• Assists in the co-production process and in research and creation of tools, particularly related to ephemeral streams and water quality.


• Andre Moraes - Agricultural engineer in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University
• Conducts research on remote sensing and spatial analysis applied to soil sciences and climate.


• Hector Novoa - Civil Engineering, Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa
• With over 25 years of experience on environmental issues, he provides insight on aspects of the project related to water and sewer systems, surface water hydrology, and design of hydraulic structures.


• Jose Pinto - Agronomist, Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa
• Conducts agricultural research and connects with interested stakeholders to improve natural resource management.


• Denis Pilares - Agricultural Sciences, Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa
• Project collaborator


• Ruxandra Popovici - Natural resources social scientist, Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
• Conducts research on the local and regional institutions for watershed management, including formal water laws, water management agencies, and traditional community organizations. She also conducts research on community and agency needs through interviews and focus groups and advises on the development of tools that aim to improve watershed management in Arequipa.


• Linda Prokopy - Natural resources social scientist, Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
  • Guides the co-production process and the development of the framework for sustainable watershed management in the region


• Raul Pablo YanYachi - Electrical engineering, Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa
• Project member 2018-2019.


• Carlos Zeballos - Architechture, Universidad Nacional de San Agustin de Arequipa
• Conducts GIS analyses about various topics related to environmental urban planning and works in several research projects about participatory risk management with different communities.