Integrated and Participatory Analysis of Water Governance Regimes: The Case of the Costa Rican Dry Tropics

Kuzdas, Christopher; Wiek, Arnim; Warner, Benjamin P.; Vignola, Raffaele; Morataya, Ricardo

doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2014.08.018

Cited by 51 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Water is a contested resource in the seasonally dry tropics of Costa Rica (Esquivel‐Hernández et al, ; Kuzdas et al, ), and water conflicts often emerge between different sectors, in particular between domestic and agricultural water users (Sánchez‐Murillo et al, ; Vignola et al, ). Agricultural irrigation is entirely based on groundwater in the study watersheds, while most local communities from the region also depend on groundwater as their primary water source during the dry season (Hund et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the seasonally dry Guanacaste province in northwestern Costa Rica is an agriculturally important area of the country, with agriculture occupying 58% of the land surface. The region is exposed annually to a marked dry season (December–April), during which water supply is highly contested among the different productive sectors (Kuzdas et al, ), followed by a wet season with high interannual rainfall variability (Steyn et al, ). This typical dry season is frequently intensified by several climatic mechanisms, such as El Niño (Esquivel‐Hernández et al, ; Steyn et al, ), which, as observed during the recent El Niño 2014–2016 event, can result in regional drought and water‐related conflicts (Kuzdas & Wiek, ; Vignola et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Water Use Dynamics in Double Cropping of Rainfed Upland Rice and Irrigated Melons Produced Under Drought‐Prone Tropical Conditions

Morillas

Hund

Johnson

2019

Water Resources Research

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Agricultural expansion and intensification is occurring in seasonally dry regions of Central America, while droughts are intensifying due to increasing water demand and climatic change. Empirical measurements of water consumption of major crops in this region are scarce but crucial to assess agricultural water use dynamics in the light of increasing regional water conflicts. We empirically quantify total crop water use (CWU) and water footprints (WFs) of rainfed upland rice (wet season) and groundwater‐irrigated melons (dry season) grown sequentially as a double cropping system, one of the major cropping systems in the seasonally dry province of Guanacaste in northwestern Costa Rica. Data for this study cover 2 years and were measured with a state‐of‐the‐art eddy covariance water and carbon flux station. Upland rice only consumed green water (CWUgreen = 383 L/m2), while melons only consumed blue water (CWUblue = 177 L/m2). Irrigation was found to be 1.5 times larger than the actual melon water consumption, with better irrigation efficiencies than reported for melon farms in Brazil but slightly inferior to farms in Spain. Melon WFblue was 79 m3/t, a much lower value than global and regional estimates reported but similar to values reported for melons produced in Brazil or Spain. Upland rice WFgreen (681 m3/t) was reported for the first time and was proven to be much lower than flood irrigated‐rice WFblue‐green. Our results demonstrated lower overall water demand for upland rice‐melon double crop compared to the two other major monocultures of the region (flood‐irrigated rice and irrigated sugar cane).

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Use Dynamics in Double Cropping of Rainfed Upland Rice and Irrigated Melons Produced Under Drought‐Prone Tropical Conditions

Morillas

Hund

Johnson

2019

Water Resources Research

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“…According to this approach, we first analyzed and assessed the current governance regime in Guanacaste (Kuzdas et al , 2015a. Then, based on the current state analysis, we constructed the alternative governance scenarios that are briefly introduced above (Kuzdas and Wiek 2014).…”

Section: Research Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to sustainable water governance ideals, in places such as rural Central America, ineffective governance has been found to be a root cause of many persistent water problems (Kuzdas et al 2015a). These water problems include harmful water conflicts, political and economic exclusion, and unjust water allocations (Kuzdas et al 2015b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability assessment of water governance alternatives: the case of Guanacaste Costa Rica

et al. 2015

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Many new forms of water governance are emerging in response to economic and social needs and wants, as well as water-related problems such as scarcity, injustice, and conflict. However, there is little evidence on how sustainable these governance regimes are, which would be critical for making progress toward sustainable and just water governance. In this article, we present the results of a transdisciplinary multi-criteria sustainability assessment of alternative governance regimes for Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. The assessment specifies differences between sustainable and unsustainable governance regimes, while also pinpointing how the current water governance regime performs in comparison to those alternatives. The findings indicate that those governance regimes with just and deliberative stakeholder involvement, secure groundwater reserves, and healthy dry tropical ecosystems were considered sustainable and just. In contrast, the current state of water governance was found to be at high risk of digressing toward unsustainable systems where rural communities lack rights and influence, where economies favor agro-industry and high impact tourism at the expense of rural livelihoods, and where water scarcity overwhelms weak governance. This assessment study clarifies water sustainability goals, asserts the need for transformational change, and offers a pragmatic foundation for actions toward sustainable water governance.

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“…Water governance is a set of collective actions that aim toward a common goal and are coordinated among diverse stakeholder groups (Lubell et al 2008). Sustainable water governance coordinates the supply, delivery, use (including demand management), and outflows of water in a way that ensures sufficient and equitable levels of socioeconomic welfare without compromising the long-term integrity of supporting ecosystems (Rogers and Hall, 2003;Brooks 2006;Langsdale et al 2009;Wiek and Larson 2012). However, establishing sustainable water governance remains a challenge, and many inadequate governance regimes are driving social-ecological systems toward points beyond which environmental or societal damage may be difficult to correct (Rockström et al 2009;Galaz et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Appraisal of Water Governance Regimes: The Case of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Kuzdas

Wiek

Warner

et al. 2014

Environmental Management

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Sustainability appraisals produce evidence for how well water governance regimes operate and where problems exist. This evidence is particularly relevant for regions that face water scarcity and conflicts. In this study, we present a criteria-based and participatory sustainability appraisal of water governance in a region with such characteristics-the dry tropics of NW Costa Rica. Data collection included 47 interviews and three stakeholder workshops. The appraisal was conducted through a collaborative and iterative process between researchers and stakeholders. Out of the 25 sustainability criteria used, seven posed a significant challenge for the governance regime. We found challenges faced by the governance regime primarily clustered around and were re-enforced by failing coordination related to the use, management, and protection of groundwater resources; and inadequate leadership to identify collective goals and to constructively deliberate alternative ways of governing water with diverse groups. The appraisal yielded some positive impact in the study area, yet we found its application provided only limited strategic information to support broader problem-solving efforts. Insights from this study suggest key starting points for sustainable water governance in the Central American dry tropics, including investing in increasingly influential collective organizations that are already active in water governance; and leveraging policy windows that can be used to build confidence and disperse more governing authority to regional and local governing actors that are in-tune with the challenges faced in the dry tropics. We conclude the article with reflections on how to produce research results that are actionable for sustainable water governance.

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Integrated and Participatory Analysis of Water Governance Regimes: The Case of the Costa Rican Dry Tropics

Cited by 51 publications

References 56 publications

Water Use Dynamics in Double Cropping of Rainfed Upland Rice and Irrigated Melons Produced Under Drought‐Prone Tropical Conditions

Water Use Dynamics in Double Cropping of Rainfed Upland Rice and Irrigated Melons Produced Under Drought‐Prone Tropical Conditions

Sustainability assessment of water governance alternatives: the case of Guanacaste Costa Rica

Sustainability Appraisal of Water Governance Regimes: The Case of Guanacaste, Costa Rica

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