As many other regions worldwide, the Bolivian Altiplano has to cope with water scarcity during dry periods, which in turn impacts on crop production as flood irrigation is overwhelmingly extended in the region. Since farming is the main income in the Altiplano for most families, the availability of greenhouses with water harvesting systems may represent a solution to warrant all year round production and food access. We study the daily satisfied water demand from a balance between rainfall collected by a greenhouse roof and water used for indoor crop irrigation assuming a tank is available for water storage. This balance is analyzed for 25 greenhouses spread over Batallas Municipality, close to Titicaca Lake, Bolivia, and for two case studies: (i) using irrigation data collected from farmers in the frame of a regional project; (ii) using theoretical daily water requirements assuming an intense greenhouse farming. Our evaluation includes a sensitivity analysis of relevant parameters, such as the influence of the time window of rainfall used in the simulation, the runoff coefficient, the roof surface area, the irrigation drip system, the irrigation frequency, the crop coefficient, the volume of water used for crop irrigation, and the capacity of the water tank. Overall, we find that the runoff coefficient has little impact on the satisfied demand rate, while all other parameters can play an important role depending on the greenhouse considered. Some greenhouses are able to irrigate crops normally during the wet season, while during the dry season, greenhouses are not able to satisfy more than 50% of the theoretical water requirements, even when large tanks are considered. Based on these results, we recommend the construction of greenhouses with a ground surface of <50 m2 attached to the largest available covered water tank. The information here provided can be used by stakeholders to decide their policies of investment in infrastructures in the Altiplano. Finally, the approach we follow can be applied to any other region where rainfall, temperature, and greenhouse data are available.
Integrated water management is complex and requires the participation of diverse actors to identify and implement transformative solutions. However, power relations can obstruct the more inclusive and equitable experiences of participatory approaches, hence limiting the empowerment of vulnerable groups. It is thus important to study how power relations are influenced by people's interests, socio-political structures, and knowledge in the process of (co)creation of water policies. We use a case study in a rural municipality of Bolivia to address this issue. Qualitative data were collected between 2017 and 2020 and analysed using the elements of the Power Cube of Gaventa as the analytical framework. Results confirm that different factors influence power relations in the making of a water policy such as interests, access to information, habits, and customs. Actors use different forms, spaces, and levels of power to achieve their interests. Our results show the importance and need to analyse power relations prior, during and after the (co)creation of any public policy and to step away from linear and sectoral frameworks of policy development.
En los últimos 20 años Bolivia ha mostrado progresos en el reconocimiento de derechos indígenas sobre la tierra, los bosques para el desarrollo de poblaciones tradicionalmente excluidas y como potencial herramientas de conservación del medioambiente. En este estudio utilizamos una variedad de datos recolectados a lo largo de 15 años para retrasar el efecto del conflicto entre indígenas y colonizadores. Mostramos que el reconocimiento de derechos territoriales no es suficiente para las poblaciones indígenas en situaciones de conflicto con otras poblaciones. Los conflictos resultan en la degradación del recurso, debilitamiento institucional propio y agravación general de la situación de vulnerabilidad. La institucionalidad del Estado Boliviano actúa de manera sesgada e impone grandes retos para el cumplimiento de los derechos indígenas.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.