(Proceedings of Symposium HS3006 at IUGG2007, Perugia, July 2007. IAHS Publication 315, 2007, pp. 71)
This paper discusses how irrigators in two arid areas in South America have responded to irregular river flow patterns to match water availability with actua water requirements. The Pampa de Chaparri (Peruvian north coast, 900-1500 AD) shows thatr irrigators may have adjusted irrigated surface and planting times. The Proyecto Rio Dulce (PRO) irrigation area in Argentina (1850-present) shows how irrigators continuously increased control over water flows through physical infrastructure. The paper elaborates upon how irrigation systems can be understood as human responses to environmental constraints.
Argentina, Arid environment, Hydrology, Irrigation, Peru, Strategies
