Irrigation in Arequipa

The region of Arequipa is very near to the Atacama Desert, making it part of one of the driest areas in the world. Glacial melt and a rainy season in the high elevations provide a limited water supply that is spread across populational, agricultural, and industrial use. Traditional agriculture in the region has utilized flood irrigation, and though some areas have abandoned these methods in favor of more efficient sprinkler and drip irrigation, flood irrigation is still used in many areas. Additionally, many farmers irrigate based on water allocated rather than crop needs, which has led to overirrigation and problems associated with it. Post-doc Jingqiu Chen has been running simulations using CropWat to support the creation of several tools to support irrigation management.

Crop Mix Planning Tool

In the Colca Valley, many communities, particularly those on the north side of the Colca River, only have access to water from seeps and springs in the area. Because of this, irrigation water is heavily regulated, and many farmers are only allowed access to irrigation on a limited schedule. Some areas have reservoirs for water storage, which can aid in the distribution of water to many farmers. The Crop Mix Planning Tool, a mobile phone application, was designed to help these farmers maximize profits with an allocated water supply based on an optimized mix of crops.

Crop Water Use Tool

Throughout Arequipa, many farmers base their irrigation needs on observational or empirical methods. The Crop Water Use Tool mobile phone application was created to help farmers understand how much specific crops need at varying growth stages. With the use of this tool, it will be easier to limit overirrigation and more efficiently use precious water resources. The SWM team has also developed several fact sheets on irrigation best practices in Majes and the Colca Valley.

Crop Monitoring Tool

Irrigation demands more water than any other human-related activitites in all of Arequipa. However, managers have been unable to precisely calculate exactly how much water will be needed for irrigation at a given time. Pairing irrigation models with remote sensing of existing crops, the crop monitoring tool will allow managers to quickly determine how much water is needed for crops in a given district within the city of Arequipa. This will help in decision-making for appropriate water allocations for agriculture for those areas to mitigate dangers of overwatering and unnecessary water consumption.

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