Sustainable Water Management in Petorca Valley

A full study about the current water management in Petorca Valley in Chile and how participatory research method can be work as a solution of the ongoing conflict.
This report was made by Christian Stange, Tomoko Numata, Liceth Moreno Uparela, Jose Miguel Perez, Annika Hempel


Bellow, you can see the most important points, however, the full study can be found here

INTRODUCTION

Imagine looking at a dry riverbed, hills covered in rows of lush green trees, and not knowing whether you will have water to drink today. This describes the everyday reality for people in certain parts of the world. One of those places is an agricultural valley in Chile. Diverse interests of various groups and individuals clash in the conflict over water in Petorca, Chile. For years, a dry climate and policy decisions have influenced water distribution in the region, and disagreements continue to escalate as the water shortage worsens. Since 1981, a water code has dictated the management of water in Chile, and powerful stakeholders influence it in their favor. The many but silent citizens suffer under the current system. Through the process of participatory research, this problem is addressed in a novel and honest approach, with the ultimate objective to discover a truly sustainable water management in Petorca. This is obtained through a series of defined steps and three methods of participatory research including stakeholder/network analysis, Delphi surveys, and participatory video. During the project, all actors are involved and heard, learn about the issues and others’ perspectives, and share with the world beyond in the hope of reaching consensus on a solution and successful implementation.  The expected outcomes, distribution strategy, strengths and limitations of the research are discussed. Participatory research offers an iterative strategy to investigate and move towards a more agreeable situation in Petorca for all.

Description of the current situation

The water scarcity for humans results in the politicization of the problem today. Local communities struggle for fair trade and priority for drinkable water as a result of the lack of access. In 2012, Rodrigo Mundaca, representing MODATIMA (The Defense Movement for Access to Water, Land and Environmental Protection) (MODATIMA, 2019), made a public accusation against some important avocado farmers in the Petorca area, due to illegal water extraction practices (BOLADOS et. al., 2018). MODATIMA believes that the new agro-export model, supported by the Chilean government, is destroying the natural ecosystem and the local economy by limiting the water consumption (irrigation and living) for poor communities in Petorca and making an unfair competition for this resource with the big avocado farms in the area. Moreover, during an observation mission by Humans Rights, illegal drainages were found extracting water from La Ligua river. These facts prompted the creation of a special commision in the congress to manage and solve this problem.   At the same time, the DGA delays responding to these facts. The area was declared drained and exhausted in water resources for wells 10 years ago, and for water extraction from the river 15 years ago by the DGA. However, the Chilean state still grants water rights to irrigate. 

The Chilean Water management is supposed to engage the same water users to surveil proper water management. Nevertheless, these users are in collusion with the water rights holders, so the water market irrigation is concentrated without any further special regulation (in a very small local market). Concentrating the water management to those who have more political and economical power perpetuates the problem without any possible solution in sight.

Furthermore, promises to discuss new investments like dams for water accumulation or  improving channel coating do not seem to solve the structural problem. These promises were never accomplished due to  never ending political discussion. At the same time, the DGA face that they can not provide sufficient and actual information about how many water rights exist and who is the owner of these titles. In the last public statement, only around 17% of these titles of water rights were recognized. Evidently, DGA has insufficient capabilities to make inspections on fields about the different lawsuits and complaints that small water users are asking to be reviewed.

Figure 1. Map of overexploitation of water resources in Chilean Regions XV - VII. In the yellow circle it is highlighted the province of Petorca. (Translated from: Ministerio de Obras Públicas, Chile, 2013)    

The Government has not made sufficient efforts on the topic and in contrast, Petorca is one of the zones where an excess of licenses to source water have been granted by the Chilean government, particularly for agriculture use (see Figure 1). They solve problems in the short term, for example, by selling water to private farmers with a water tanker truck to deliver to the community. They are not creating strong regulation or policies, supporting DGA to help stop the illegal water extraction, or proposing or at least supervising the more effective the water management in Petorca province. MODATIMA is the only activist group still supporting voiceless communities to have better access to water distribution in Petorca, as well as claiming  for water equity and declaring water as a public right in the whole country.

OBJECTIVE

General Objective

To propose a new sustainable approach for water management in Pertorca’s valley 

Specific objectives

To create a better understanding of the water management situation by identifying the main key actors and the type of connections among them.

To explore the judgements that experts have about the water sustainability issue in Petorca. 

To document and learn through videos from the different actors involved in the water management situation in Petorca’s valley.

PARTICIPATORY METHODS

Stakeholder/Network analysis

The first participatory method employed in the research is stakeholder/network analysis to collect relevant information on the key actors. The complexity of stakeholder interaction in Petorca is demonstrated with the headline, “Chile: Authorities must protect Rodrigo Mundaca and other environmental defenders” (AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CHILE, 2018). Authorities and environmental defenders are just two examples of the many actors involved in the social network. Environmental decisions in particular involve many actors with diverse opinions and values. This process helps identify the initial research problem. Meanwhile, stakeholders are participating and engaging in the structuring of further research. The outcome of the stakeholder/network analysis is a NET-MAP contributing to the next methods of participatory research. The intensity of participation is consultation of initial actors. The NET-MAP analysis leads to network recommendations for stakeholders.

A)      The first step in NET-MAP is to formulate the question based on objectives, time, and space. The NET-MAP objective is to create a better understanding of the water management situation by identifying the main key actors and the type of connections among them. Thus, the area chosen is Petorca province, Chile. Petorca is part of the Valparaíso region and has five communes, including: La Ligua, Cabildo, Zapallar, Papudo, and Petorca. It produces 70% of Chile’s avocados. The total population is 78,299, meaning there are many potential stakeholders. According to Orlando Fals-Borda in the book Action and Knowledge Breaking the Monopoly with Participatory Action Research, a critical recovery of history is a technique in participatory research (FALS-BORDA, et. al., 1991). The local knowledge of past water struggles will be investigated during the informant interviews while mapping. Looking to the history, Chile’s Water Code was implemented in 1981. The local rivers have been dry for approximately 12 years. There have been 73 water-related conflicts in the last five years, compared to only 16 in the 1990s (MILNE, 2019). Thus, 10 years was chosen as a preliminary time frame of historical inquiry. The question formed is, “Who influences the distribution of water in Petorca, Chile in the last 10 years?”

B)      The next step is to select interviewees and conduct interviews based on secondary data. These participants can identify additional actors, links, and levels of influence used to create the map. Initial categories are government, such as members of Direccion General de Aguas (DGA) who distribute water rights and other public officials. Business or commercial representatives range from small farmers to Petorca’s largest avocado exporter, Cabilfrut. Citizens and activists can be chosen from the local Defense Movement of Earth, Environmental Protection and Access to Water (MODATIMA) group.

C)      The last step is to discuss the map, with sub-steps of visualization, data analysis, and potential recommendations for a strategic network plan. An important outcome of the NET-MAP is to identify experts who will be further investigated using the Delphi method. There is a need to represent and empower the marginalized. These “voiceless” actors have less power and influence but must be equally represented as network experts in the Delphi questionnaires.

Delphi method

Following stakeholder analysis, the Delphi method is used to explore judgements participants have about the water issue in Petorca. This enables the issue to be specifically defined and potential solutions can be generated. Because there is much conflict between actors in Petorca, Delphi is useful as respondents are surveyed individually. Through three rounds of surveys, a consensus will be obtained. The intensity of participation during the Delphi interviews is also consultation of a wide range of social perspectives.

The first step is to use results from the NET-MAP to identify experts. Expert is defined as someone with “special skill or knowledge representing mastery of a particular subject” (MERRIAM-WEBSTER, 2020). Yet, citizen experts must be included in this group. In the book Citizens, Experts, and the Environment: The Politics of Local Knowledge, author Frank Fischer claims, “deliberations of ordinary citizens can help solve complex social and environmental problems by contributing local contextual knowledge to the professionals’ expertise” (FISCHER, 2000). A purposive sample will be taken to represent experts in each category of the NET-MAP, including small producers and local citizens, who have expert knowledge on the realities of everyday water shortage. Three rounds of surveys will be quickly administered to retain participation during facilitation. The precise question to answer is: “What are expert judgements of the water issues in Petorca?”

A)      Round 1: The first round will be a free listing exercise to identify the widest range of issues. We will ask for a narrative of how the water issues affect one’s life. The issues are defined and listed by the facilitator.

B)      Round 2: The second iteration is for participants to rank all the issues according to their perspective of importance. This allows them to see the opinions of the respondents anonymously and forces them to consider all perspectives.

C)      Round 3: In the last round, the questionnaire will display the results of the ranking and ask the participants to generate potential solutions to the issues presented.

Participatory video

Participatory video is a powerful tool for documenting and learning. As stated by Gustavo I. de Roux, “knowledge generated by people in their daily struggle to survive is not codified and transcribed in articles or books, but in folk sayings and other popular expressions as they add to their cultural baggage” (FALS BORDA, 1991). This method was chosen because video is an effective and unique medium for documenting and sharing visual and non-visual stories in the digital age. Furthermore, the unique methodology of visual medium and sharing enables knowledge to be spread beyond the region, bringing awareness to a global issue. The level of participation in video implementation is engagement. In Petorca, the aims of video research are to include and empower marginalized voices, share local knowledge, monitor and evaluate the project, and influence governance to improve the situation. 

First, marginalized voices were identified in stakeholder analysis who will be creating their own films, for example the small farmers and local citizens experiencing water shortage daily. Since their voices may not be heard as experts in the Delphi questionnaires, their perspectives are captured through film. It is ideal to include narratives from other stakeholder groups as well, such as local authorities or export company executives, but their response rates may be low. Thus, using 15-20 participants provides sufficient content accounting for some non-participation. The basic steps participants proceed through are 1) learning to use the camera with games and exercises, 2) identifying, analyzing, and sharing issues with the help of facilitators, 3) filming and directing the videos, and 4) editing and sharing the footage. See the appendix for an image of water shortage in California. This is an example of the scenes Petorca’s residents may choose to film. Other perspectives may focus filming on avocado plantations or dry riverbeds and natural landscapes. The focal points are identified and coded, revealing the most important issues. 

The footage will be shared in consecutive focus groups and with the world outside the community, such as online, to trigger activism. By following-up in focus groups after filming, the entire project can be monitored and adapted. Within the community focus groups, the films are edited and combined into a documentary or film series to distribute. From there, the quantity of views and attitudes towards the films are monitored and evaluated. For example, online videos can be analyzed by views and comments, or news reports can be monitored with social media reactions. Evaluate what actions or changes in behavior take place, such as community activism, protests, boycotts/shifts in demand by consumers, or political discussion. According to Dr. Pamila Richardson-Ngwenya’s lecture, participatory video has been used for policy design/formation/consultancy. We are hopeful that the awareness and issues brought forward through the videos will force politicians to take action.

CONCLUSION

Overall, the ongoing historical battle over water continues to rage in Petorca, Chile. In seeking to understand the complex problem and implement solutions, a course of participatory research has been proposed. Through years of research including three methods, focus groups, and implementation strategies, we do not only hope to find a sustainable method of water management for Petorca. Learning, adapting the approach, and engaging with the community will take place simultaneously during the project, strengthening awareness and encouraging action. Although the water shortage and participatory methods chosen create challenges, we have justified the use of the participatory research protocol as an effective method with many strengths and positive expected outcomes. Perhaps employing the research strategy proposed, the river could one day run again. Imagine a future in which all have enough to drink and the avocados grow with what they need and out of greed.