Sustainable Irrigation Projects Launched in Chile and Tanzania

In the Valparaíso region of Chile, the Fundación para la Innovación Agraria (FIA) presented a demonstration farm in Cuncumén to promote regenerative, diversified irrigation agriculture. The project, backed by the Inter‑American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and local authorities, aims to convert dry‑land farms to more efficient, rain‑water‑conserving irrigated systems across 1,617 hectares.

In Tanzania’s Iringa region, Incatema, together with the National Irrigation Commission and World Bank funding, completed a pilot program that trained 347 farmers and established shared‑governance agreements for three irrigation schemes. The model delegates operation of secondary water networks to farmer communities while the commission maintains main infrastructure, seeking more sustainable and participatory water management.

Both initiatives seek to improve water use efficiency, climate resilience, and market differentiation for small and medium‑scale farmers.