One of the main problems facing the indigenous communities of the Northern Sierra of Ecuador is access to safe irrigation water. Many times, the irrigation systems have a precarious infrastructure without any technology and without any support from the State and, therefore, present difficulties in both physical and social functioning. The social element is essential in communities, as it allows all users to access democratically and participate in community management of natural resources with tools for conflict resolution.
We provide technical and organizational support to communities in Imbabura province (Ibarra and Pimampiro cantons) and Pichincha province (Cayambe canton), which already have community irrigation systems and require a training process to improve water management these on the basis of the principles and rules of the community. This will encourage the creation of community management models that will serve as an organizational tool to solve the difficulties of accessing water and provide solutions to the conflicts generated in the community by access to resources.
The objective is to strengthen the democratic community mechanisms to decide their own rules and agreements, and thus establish an operation of the irrigation system that allows all families in the community to access water in quality conditions.
- We offer technical training to families to improve the management of irrigation systems and organizational training for communities as a whole.
- We provide informational materials and exchange of experiences between irrigation groups.
- We strengthen the organizational capacities of communities.
- We encourage the improvement of families’ skills in managing irrigation and their correspondence with the community organization, with the aim of improving access and community management of the communities’ natural resources.
