Peru, with a population of 33 million, has a diverse ecological makeup, spanning a coastal belt, the Amazon rainforest, and the Andes highlands. It stands out as one of the nations most susceptible to climate change, with Cuzco, birthplace of the Inca empire, facing particular vulnerability. Sixty-eight percent of the world's tropical glaciers are found in Peru, but over half of them have disappeared over the last six decades as a result of climate change.
Among the most severely impacted are those situated in Cuzco. Forty percent of Cuzco’s nearly 1.4 million people live in rural areas, relying heavily on family agriculture as a primary economic pursuit. The scarcity of water poses a direct threat to the sustainability of their livelihoods in these regions. Furthermore, the highlands region of Cuzco in the southern Peruvian Andes has been grappling with a prolonged drought over the past two years, a challenging situation exacerbated by the escalating impact of the El Niño climate phenomenon. In addition to the challenges to agriculture, the responsibility for collecting water for the household often falls on women and girls, who fetch water from nearby sources, a time-consuming and physically demanding responsibility that impacts women's daily lives and limits their opportunities for education and employment.
“Climate justice is a path to be taken in our countries and specifically in rural and poor communities such as the ones we are visiting, where the populace is in a situation of greater vulnerability due to the characteristics of the territory they inhabit, poverty and neglect by the state, and gender inequality,” said Katherine Pozo, with the Flora Tristán Peruvian Women’s Center’s Rural Development Program. They believe that resources must be available to groups according to their needs, differentiated by gender, age and territorial location. “There can be no climate justice without equity, without rights, without gender equality,” she said.
Women and Men Work Together to Make Rain
KEYWORDS
Climate Justice Water Collection Indigenous Practices
Water
Food Security & Agriculture
Livelihoods
Water Shortages as a Consequence of Climate Change
Traditional Methods of Capturing Water
Confronted with the obvious impacts of climate change, the residents of Muñapata have taken measures to reclaim their water resources by embracing ancient Quechua practices known as sowing and harvesting water. These practices create conditions for capturing, storing, and allowing a portion of the rain and mist to permeate the soil, preventing water runoff and loss. This initiative leads to the replenishment of aquifers that nourish a variety of natural water sources, including ojos de agua—small natural pools of spring water. Consequently, wetlands and pastures are regenerated, providing essential drinking spots for animals.
The community has actively contributed to this effort by planting over 20,000 native plants in the headwaters of the watershed, designed to capture water. They have also constructed infiltration ditches, known as amunas in the Quechua language, which are traditional irrigation channels that facilitate the seepage of water into the subsoil and recharge canals.
Lessons Learned from Women’s and Men’s Engagement
Women, especially those engaged in cultivating vegetables and herbs through agroecological methods, have been instrumental in shaping the efforts on water planting and harvesting. They played a leading role in engaging local government to participate in revitalizing water sources.
Cuzco has been experiencing consistent rainfall since the conclusion of November 2023.The Andean highlands are veiled by thick gray clouds, a welcome relief to local people. The replenishment of small earthen ponds, along with infiltration ditches, amunas, and recharge canals will enable water infiltration into the soil (known as water planting) and provide a direct source for irrigation or daily consumption (water harvesting).
This initiative received support from the Basque Cooperation Agency and the Mugen Gainetik institution in the northern region of Spain.
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