Abstract
The agricultural sector is the primary water user in the country, with withdrawals of around 82%, while mining, industrial and urban sanitary uses share 18%. Given its relevance, we discuss the aspects that determine the present and future water demands by this sector. We also identify significant knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to ensure the sustainable use of water resources in the country. General characteristics of irrigation in the main macro-zones of Chile are presented, followed by an assessment of the current situation of surface and underground water use, as well as of rainfed agriculture. The significant impact of recent trends in water use in agriculture, including the evolution of irrigation systems, water quality demands, and the impact of the ongoing drought are discussed. Finally, future projections and challenges for water use in agriculture, including climate change impacts, and future trends are analyzed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Boisier JP, Rondanelli R, Garreaud RD, Muñoz F (2016) Anthropogenic and natural contributions to the Southeast Pacific precipitation decline and recent mega drought in Central Chile. Geophys Res Lett 43(1):413–421
Canto P (1989) Mejoramiento de la productividad y desarrollo del área de secano interior de la V Región, Área de Ganadería y Pastizales. Pontificia Universidad Católica
DGA (2013) Inventario público de cuencas hidrográficas y lagos. Ministerio de Obras Públicas
DGA (2016) Atlas del Agua Chile 2016. Dirección General de Aguas, Ministerio de Obras Públicas
Garreaud RD, Alvarez-Garreton C, Barichivich J, Boisier JP, Christie D, Galleguillos M, LeQuesne C, McPhee J, Zambrano-Bigiarini M (2017) The 2010–2015 megadrought in Central Chile: impacts on regional hydroclimate and vegetation. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 21(12):6307–6327
Gligo N (2015) Diagnóstico de Recursos Hídricos en Secano interior y costero VI a VIII Región, CNA, Santiago de Chile, Academia Chilena de Ciencias Agronómicas Seminario 2015
INE (2007) Censo Agropecuario y Forestal 2007
Melo O, Perez J (2018) Water quality policy. In: Donoso G (ed) Water policy in Chile, global issues in water policy 21. Springer, Cham, pp 87–102. 224 p. Print ISBN 978-3-319-76701-7
Meza FJ (2005) Variability of reference evapotranspiration and water demands. Associations to ENSO in the Maipo river basin, Chile. Glob Planet Chang 47(2–4):212–220
Meza F (2013) Recent trends and ENSO influences on droughts in Northern Chile: an application of the standard precipitation evapotranspiration index. Weather Clim Extremes 1:51–58
Meza FJ, Wilks DS, Gurovich L, Bambach N (2012) Impacts of climate change on irrigated agriculture in the Maipo Basin, Chile: reliability of water rights and changes in the demand for irrigation. J Water Resour Plan Manag 138(5):421–430
Meza FJ, Vicuña S, Jelinek M, Bustos E, Bonelli S (2014) Assessing water demands and coverage sensitivity to climate change in the urban and rural sectors in Central Chile. J Water Clim Chang 5(2):192–203
ODEPA (2000) Clasificación de las explotaciones agrícolas del VI Censo nacional agropecuario según tipo de productor y localización geográfica, documento de trabajo N° 5. ODEPA. Santiago, Chile. 91 p
ODEPA (2017a) AGRICULTURA CHILENA Reflexiones y Desafíos al 2030. Ministerio de Agricultura de Chile. 298 p
ODEPA (2017b) Panorama de la Agricultura Chilena. Oficina de Estudios y Políticas Agrarias. Ministerio de Agricultura de Chile. 141 págs
ODEPA y CIREN (2016) Catastro frutícola Región de la Araucanía. Principales resultados 2016. Oficina de estudios y políticas agrarias y Centro de Información de Recursos Naturales. 44 p
Oertel M, Meza FJ, Gironás J, Scott C, Rojas F, Pineda N (2018) Drought propagation in semi-arid river basins in Latin America: lessons from Mexico to the Southern Cone. Water 10(11):1564. https://doi.org/10.3390/w10111564
Roco L, Poblete D, Kerrigan G, Meza FJ (2016) Understanding farmers’ decision to cope with drought and water scarcity: case studies from two river basins of Chile in the context of climate change. Environ Manag 58(6):958–971
Salazar C (2003) Situación de los recursos hídricos en Chile. Con el apoyo de la Fundación Nippon. Centro del Tercer Mundo para el Manejo del Agua, A. C., México
Selker J (2000) Hidrología del secano. In: Pérez C, Claudio (ed) Proposiciones Tecnológicas para un Desarrollo Sustentable del Secano. Chillán, Chile. Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Boletín INIA N° 42, 250 p. pp 77–94
Subiabre ML (2000) Evaluación de sensibilidad a la erosión. Planificación indicativa para su control. In: Pérez C, Claudio (ed) Proposiciones Tecnológicas para un Desarrollo Sustentable del Secano. Chillán, Chile. Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Boletín INIA N° 42, 250 p. pp. 7–42
World Bank (1995) Chile – Secano rural poverty alleviation and natural resource management project (English). World Bank, Washington, DC
World Bank (2010) World development indicators 2010. The World Bank, Washington, DC
World Bank (2011) Diagnóstico de la gestión de los recursos hídricos. Departamento de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible Región para América Latina y el Caribe
Zambrano F, Lillo-Saavedra M, Verbist K, Lagos O (2016) Sixteen years of agricultural drought assessment of the BioBío region in Chile using a 250 m resolution vegetation condition index (VCI). Remote Sens 8:530
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Meza, F., Gil, P., Melo, O. (2021). Agricultural Uses. In: Fernández, B., Gironás, J. (eds) Water Resources of Chile. World Water Resources, vol 8. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56901-3_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56901-3_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-56900-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-56901-3
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)