Irrigation infrastructure development in the Limarí Basin in Central Chile: implications for adaptation to climate variability and climate change

Abstract

One option to deal with climate variability in agriculture is to build irrigation infrastructure, although this may lead to the overdevelopment of water resources, leading to ‘basin closure’. The Limarí Basin, in central north Chile, has relied on irrigation infrastructure over the last 30 years to increase water supply reliability and extend irrigated acreage, especially for permanent crops. This situation has reduced adaptation opportunities in the basin, which is currently experiencing a severe drought that, according to climate change projections, is expected to persist in the future, with important consequences for the sustainability of agriculture production.

Keywords:

• irrigation infrastructure
• water and land-use policy
• irrigation efficiency
• climate change
• climate variability
• Central Chile

Acknowledgments

This work was carried out with support from FONDECYT (grant no. 1110297). We thank Mauricio Cortes, Aldo Tapia, Fidel Maureira and Alynn Sanchez for help in the provision of crucial data and understanding of the Limarí Basin’s water resources operations.