Promotion of local adaptation initiatives to strengthen and improve the availability of water for irrigation in Peru

Summary

In the Andean countries, climate change threatens water security. To address this challenge, the Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in the Andes Project (AICCA) implemented an awareness-raising and training program in climate change adaptation in the provinces of Contumazá and Huaraz in Peru. This program focused on two areas: improving water management for irrigation and strengthening the adaptation of agricultural value chains.The design took into account the main climate hazards identified for the period 2021-2040, such as very high levels of intense rainfall and landslides, as well as ancestral knowledge and good practices in water security. Thanks to this, the community understood the climate hazards to which it is exposed, learned about water management opportunities in the face of climate variability and change scenarios, and strengthened its adaptive capacity based on its social and historical experience.

This adaptation solution is part of a wider irrigation project that can be explored here.

Overview

Location:

• Peru

Implementation sites:

• Single country
• Multiple locations

Mountain region:

• Cordillera de los Andes

Province:

• Cajamarca, Ancash

Site locations:

• Provincia de Contumazá, departamento de Cajamarca

  Provincia Huaraz, departamento de Ancash

Solution scale:

• Local

Ecosystem type(s):

• Agricultural land

Solution type(s):

• Education and awareness

Sector(s):

• Agriculture
• Water

Other sector(s) type(s):

• Education

Climate impact(s) addressed:

• Flood
• Landslides
• Wild Fire

Other climate impact(s) addressed:

• Heavy precipitation

Climate impact time-scale(s):

• Slow Onset

Main benefit associated with the solution:

• Social benefits (e.g. poverty reduction, inclusiveness and equity, health and well-being)

Co-benefit(s) associated with the solution implementation:

• Economic benefits (e.g. job creation, tourism)
• Environmental benefits (e.g. biodiversity preservation, water security, food security)

Implementation timeline:

• 2020 - 2021

Sendai targets:

• 

SDGs:

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Solution details

Main beneficiaries & outcomes

The main beneficiaries of this solution were the members of the irrigation committees: Toma Grande, Cruz Pampa and Picup of the Independencia district; and Huaraz – Ancash and the Jandón and Palo Blanco hamlets of the Contumazá and San Benito districts.

Benefits included the reduction of hazards related to extreme events; strengthened organizational and business capacities of irrigation committees; strengthened ancestral and traditional practices around water use; reduced vulnerability to droughts; and more efficient use of water.

The solution is widely available and women and men participated in similar proportions: women 48% and men 52%.

Planning and implementation

The planning and implementation process of this program involved the following stages:

1. Establishment of commitments:

• Signing of a commitment document by the directors of the irrigation committees and producers, to guarantee their participation during the program.
• Commitment of local authorities in terms of dissemination and promotion of the solution.
• Approval of the awareness and training program by the Regional Agrarian Directorate of Ancash.

2. Design and implementation of the training program on climate change adaptation measures and agricultural business strengthening:

• Module 1: adaptation to climate change and community management.
• Module 2: sowing and harvesting water.
• Module 3: strengthening the capacities of irrigation committees in participatory and inclusive water management.
• Module 4: adaptation measures.

Within the capacity-building program on business strategies, the following topics were addressed:

• The business dimension: competitiveness and access to markets.
• Types of organizations.
• Association, legal framework, principles and values, and associative governance in the face of the effects of climate change.
• Leadership with cross-cutting gender, intercultural and intergenerational approaches.

The Ministry of the Environment of Peru (MINAM) established the technical guidelines for the design and implementation of the program. The AICCA Project supported the operational coordination and development of the training program. Finally the irrigation committees were in charge of the operation and maintenance of the irrigation system and participated in the program.

Finance

This adaptation measure was financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and executed by the Consortium for Sustainable Development of the Andean Ecoregion (CONDESAN).

Funding was provided as a donation and the cost is shown below.

Main items	Cost (USD)
Design and implementation of the awareness and training program on climate change adaptation measures for irrigation water in Ancash and Cajamarca.	$26.500,00 (Áncash: 9,500 Cajamarca: 17,000)
Design and implementation of the capacity building program for irrigation committees in business strategies for the adoption of climate change adaptation measures in value chains.	$31.415,00 (Ancash: 16,195 , Cajamarca: 15,220)
Technical and administrative support in the development of the program (10%).	$5.600,00
Total	$63.515,00

 

Innovation

The main innovation of this solution was to bring climate information closer to the community and include it in business and association strategies in order to adapt agricultural value chains to the negative effects of climate change. This favoured the maintenance of practices that reduce the vulnerability of families, strengthen resilience, and reduce the impacts of productive systems.

Additionally, the approach to leadership and association with gender, intercultural and intergenerational approaches was an innovative commitment to reduce local social gaps and inequalities.

Performance evaluation

No performance evaluation of this measure has been carried out.

Capacities for design and implementation

Knowledge

One of the fundamental inputs for the design of the solution was the study of climatic hazards, which involved:

• Analysis of climatic variability: evaluation of extreme precipitation data.
• Changes in climatological averages: multiannual monthly analysis of precipitation and maximum and minimum temperatures.
• Changes in extreme events: trend analysis.

Moreover, the study of climatic risk and the pre-investment studies of the irrigation projects in each region were the bases for detecting the needs for strengthening and training.

Technology

In this case no available technology was applied, due to the nature of the adaptation measure

Political / Legal

One of the motivations of the training program was to facilitate the implementation of adaptation measures of Peru’s Nationally Determined Contribution, in the areas of water and agriculture.

The solution is in line with article 6 of the Regulations of the Water Resources Law, which promotes integrated water management in the hydrographic basin. Likewise, it is linked to article 3 of the Regulations of the Framework Law on Climate Change, which promotes mitigation and adaptation based on traditional knowledge of peoples and multicultural visions.

Institutional

The development of the solution was led by MINAM in collaboration with the AICCA Project, which was responsible for the conceptualization and the operational part. Other key actors were the members of the district irrigation committees, who participated directly in the program.

Socio-cultural

The conceptualization of adaptation measures was based on the ancestral knowledge and practices of the communities. Furthermore, the communication strategies (such as the composition of a vernacular song) included local artists in order to bring the topic closer to the daily life and customs of the place.

Outlook & Scalability

Barriers and adverse effects

The primary challenges of this solution were convening and organizing the committees, as well as maintaining active participation among all stakeholders throughout the program. To address these challenges, various communication and dissemination strategies were implemented, including: radio broadcasts, radio spots, a “talking wall,” posters, and a local song.

The radio broadcasts, hosted by local announcers, were aired weekly across the district to disseminate training topics. The local song, performed by local artists, incorporated the key messages of the awareness and training program into a familiar musical style, making the content more relatable to the communities’ daily lives and customs.

Transformation and future outlook

One of the main challenges in the regions where the AICCA Project intervenes is to transform deeply rooted practices and behaviours that currently prevent an equitable and responsible distribution of water. Furthermore, to achieve consensus on the management and sustainable use of water, it is necessary to previously have information and communities sensitized on the subject. This facilitates decision-making on climate risk management and favours the design of collaborative work options.

Potential for upscaling and replication

It is desirable to expand and duplicate this solution given the importance of adaptive capacities to reduce the vulnerability of communities to climate change.