Distributional Equity in the Face of Scarcity: A Case Study of Irrigating Peru’s Desert

Abstract

Water has a “hybrid” nature, meaning it is co-produced by a variety of social processes, which, in turn, are also shaped by the physical hydrology of water. Thus, drought is far more complex than merely the number of gallons of water in an aquifer, and our understanding of it needs to be decentered from hydrology. This research is a case study of an extensive water project in La Libertad, Peru, known as Chavimochic, in an effort to determine what factors (other than hydrology) influence allocation of water. The primary research question asked: Do capital-intensive water projects like Chavimochic actually further exacerbate power inequalities as protectionists argue, and if so, how do the interplay of the various forces driving Chavimochic and the resulting asparagus industry, affect Chavimochic’s ability to relieve rural poverty? The role politics plays in influencing water projects is widely acknowledged, and was found to be a factor in Peru as well. Additionally, the study argues that three factors have been undervalued and overlooked in understanding equitable water distribution: land holdings, technology, and labor dynamics.