Professionals from the Norte Chico region are trained in water resource management

The program is being implemented by the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering of the University of Concepción and the Water Technology Consortium, where professionals and technicians from the Atacama and Coquimbo regions will be able to learn through training in water resource management.

Following a successful day, the first in-person meeting of the "Water Resource Management Training for Professionals from the Norte Chico Area, Atacama, and Coquimbo regions" program was held. Rural extension professionals, Water User Organizations (WOUs), consultants, and public sector professionals from the area participated in this event.

This initiative is a response to the prolonged drought affecting the Norte Chico area of the country. The inhabitants of the area have had difficulties in obtaining water and being able to carry out the different productive activities that take place in the area.

This project of the National Irrigation Commission (CNR) is led by the Department of Water Resources and the Water Technology Consortium (COTH2O) of the University of Concepción. Professors and researchers from COTH2O presented content related to the technical management of water resources.

The training is structured in three main modules: technical, legal and organizational, with the aim of addressing water efficiency from different key perspectives for its effective implementation.

The program contemplates a b-learning modality, which includes online courses through a virtual classroom platform of the CNR with a duration of 120 tutored hours. In addition, an interregional seminar will be held as an internship with the idea of deepening and evaluating learning, along with the development of audiovisual training material for extensionists.

During this first day, researchers Luis Pino, José Luis Arumí and Andrés Pérez - belonging to the University of Concepción and COTH2O - trained the participants of the program, which is also directed by the COTH2O researcher and Agricultural Civil Engineer, Ovidio Melo.

Following the difficulties and effects of climate change, the overexploitation of water resources and the problems presented by water governance, there is a strong demand for knowledge and skills to face these types of challenges.

Andrés Pérez, Agricultural Engineer, specialist in technical water management at the University of Concepción and speaker at the training highlighted the importance of this type of activities, "This program is fundamental because it allows to bring concrete tools to those who live day to day the effects of climate change, strengthening local capacities and promoting a better management of water resources."

This program: "seeks to develop capacities in the rural extension system with respect to water management, taking advantage of the social capital generated by extension professionals as a result of the close relationship they maintain with people involved in forestry and livestock production, generally small producers who depend significantly on the availability of the resource and on the capacities acquired in the different territorial rural extension programs."

The activity also included the development of an internship at the INIA Intihuasi demonstration field located in the commune of La Serena, specifically at the Centre for Research and Technology Transfer in Water Efficiency and Soilless Agriculture.

Demonstration field INIA Intihuasi

“The interaction with the participants, their questions and contributions, reflect the commitment that exists in the area to address water scarcity, and evidence of the urgency of generating practical solutions based on technical and territorial knowledge,” emphasized Andrés Pérez.

The period of execution of the program is 18 months, with a start date of August 2024 and an end date of February 2026.