2 days ago
Farmers use once-forgotten ancient technique to transform modern agriculture: 'They have literally shaped the landscape'
Modern irrigation systems have taken over old-world practices in many areas, but in Colorado's San Luis Valley, the tradition of acequia waterways is supporting communities and the environment.
These gravity-fed channels carry water from tributaries of the Rio Grande high in the mountains down to fields below, where they've irrigated 30,000 acres of farmland and 10,000 acres of wetlands, according to an in-depth report by Civil Eats.
Acequia is adapted from the Arabic word al-asaqiya, meaning the canal or the waterway. The concept originated in the Middle East and was adopted by the Spanish, who shared the knowledge of these water systems when they journeyed to the Americas.
"This is an incredibly productive, resilient, and sustainable system," said Devon Peña, founder of The Acequia Institute, a nonprofit that supports environmental and food justice in Southern Colorado, per the article.
"They all share something in common, which is community governance," Peña added. "It's a water democracy."
Acequias are both physical canal systems and a political structure with elected mayordomos who, along with commissioners, govern water operations. These waterways are collectively owned by members, who each get an equal vote regardless of their property size.
Civil Eats explained that the physical design of the acequias mimics natural water flows, with unlined ditches that allow for seepage into the earth, connecting surface and groundwater supplies.
This recharges aquifers, reduces evaporation and aridification, and enhances biodiversity in the area.
"Our ancestors and predecessors created a cultural landscape and spread a broad ribbon of life that is an extension of the river," said Paula Garcia, executive director of the grassroots New Mexico Acequia Association. "They have literally shaped the landscape."
Acequias are also the primary irrigation system in Northern and Central New Mexico, where communities pass down time-tested ecological practices that help sustain agriculture and the environment.
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Small-scale farming, however, has declined in the area in the face of economic changes, depopulation, and the shift away from diversified crops to monocultures, the report detailed.
"We've become an alfalfa monoculture and beef export colony," Peña shared. "We need to transform farming back to polyculture."
Studies have shown that diversification in land use can reduce soil erosion and fertilizer runoff while providing habitats for essential pollinators and local wildlife.
On The Acequia Institute's 181-acre farm, Peña and others are helping to revive more sustainable farming practices with crops such as heirloom corn, beans, and squash.
The organization is also transforming an old grocery store into the San Luis Peoples Market, which will include a commercial kitchen and community center as well as feature local produce from acequia farmers.
"I know we're going to bring healthy food and nutrition to the community," Peña told Civil Eats. "The model is we don't want to go outside the valley."
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