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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Drylands
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.1486798
This article is part of the Research Topic Sociohydrology in Drylands View all 4 articles

Rainwater harvesting technologies in arid plains of Argentina: small local strategies vs. large centralized projects

Provisionally accepted
Aldana Calderón Archina Aldana Calderón Archina 1Diego Escolar Diego Escolar 2Guillermo Heider Guillermo Heider 3Marcos J. Niborski Marcos J. Niborski 3Esteban G. Jobbagy Esteban G. Jobbagy 3Patricio N. Magliano Patricio N. Magliano 3*
  • 1 Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaiso, Chile
  • 2 Universidad Nacional de Cuyo- CASLEO/CONICET., Mendoza, Argentina
  • 3 IMASL-CONICET, San Luis, Argentina

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Access to water has been and remains one of humanity's greatest challenges, especially in arid plains exposed to significant climatic fluctuations and future global change trends. In the past and present, local communities of the arid plains of central-western Argentina (i.e., Guanacache Lagoons, Cuyo region) have developed multiple strategies to manage water supply problems. The aims of this study are: (i) to characterize the different water harvesting technologies (pre-Hispanic and modern), and (ii) to compare the small local strategies of water harvesting (bottom-up solutions) with the large centralized projects (top-down solutions). On the one hand, we show the transformations of these technologies over time, and the challenges faced by inhabitants in context of climate change trends. On the other hand, we analyze the state's role through hydraulic policies and projects implemented by the provincial states over the last two centuries and how this impacted the study area. This review is based on a historical and archaeological bibliography and recent publications about the region and includes articles based on our ethnographic fieldwork. Our results demonstrate the valuable experience accumulated by local populations in water harvesting methods, particularly in areas where groundwater is deep and saline, and show the adaptability of these technologies in contexts of increasing scarcity. We considered that local indigenous knowledge can largely contribute to the sustainable management of water resources. This study might be useful for decision-makers and water managers in arid plains around the world to find an equitable approach that combines technical advances with local knowledge.

    Keywords: water scarcity, indigenous people, Local knowledge, Rainwater Harvesting, Rurality, Water policies, climate adaptions, drylands

    Received: 26 Aug 2024; Accepted: 31 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Calderón Archina, Escolar, Heider, Niborski, Jobbagy and Magliano. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Patricio N. Magliano, IMASL-CONICET, San Luis, Argentina

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.