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Opinion note
  • Agua Segura

How to Improve Irrigation Efficiency in Collaboration with Farmers-Agua Segura

Esther Camacho Guerrero – Director of the Regenera Bajío Program, Nuup.

In Mexico, like many other countries, the agricultural sector is the main consumer of water. According to INEGI data, it accounts for over 67% of the total volume used nationwide. This figure highlights the urgency of implementing sustainable water management strategies, especially in a context of growing water crisis.

The country’s water security is closely linked to the agricultural sector’s ability to adapt and make more efficient use of the resource. Especially small-scale agriculture, which occupies about 72% of Mexico’s agricultural territory, still heavily relies on gravity irrigation systems, also known as furrow or flood irrigation. These systems have an estimated efficiency between 20% and 40%, leading to significant water loss, often groundwater, which could be better utilized.

Optimizing Irrigation is Possible: Experience from the Field

At Regenera Bajío, we work with producers to improve irrigation practices and move towards effective water conservation. We have proven in the field that, with adequate technical advice and commitment from the producer, efficiencies of up to 80% can be achieved. This translates into less water extraction, reduced costs, prevention of agricultural diseases, and, in many cases, improved productive yields.

But beyond tools and technologies, the key to change lies in the human factor. The experience, knowledge of the territory, and willingness of producers are fundamental to achieving a transition towards more sustainable agriculture.

A People-Centered Methodology

Aware of the particularities of the Mexican countryside, we developed an intervention approach centered on the producers. Our team provides personalized technical advice, with field visits that allow us to analyze the specific conditions of each plot: soil type, slope, crops, availability of irrigation infrastructure, and access to water.

Through interviews and direct observation, we analyze current practices:

  • How do they irrigate?
  • When and how often?
  • Why is that system chosen?

With this information and data measured on the ground, we propose practical and accessible adjustments, such as modifications to irrigation scheduling, valve installation, or small leveling works. These changes, adapted to the producer’s reality, usually have an immediate and significant impact on water use efficiency.

Changing Deep-Rooted Habits: A Cultural Challenge

One of the most relevant challenges is modifying habits that have been passed down from generation to generation. Many producers repeat irrigation routines because “that’s how it’s always been done,” even if they are not always the most suitable for the current climatic and environmental reality.

Therefore, our approach prioritizes close accompaniment, establishing relationships of trust from the beginning of the process. Listening to their doubts, responding with technical evidence, and respecting their timelines are key to generating lasting transformations.

We also promote the active participation of producers in recording field data. This exercise allows them to observe for themselves the results of the implemented improvements, which reinforces evidence-based decision-making and empowers communities to care for their resources.

Reusing Knowledge: A Virtuous Cycle

Another essential aspect of the methodology is returning the information generated in each agricultural cycle to the producers. This not only improves water management in their productive units but also strengthens the collective memory of the territory.

Furthermore, water efficiency becomes a gateway to other key issues, such as aquifer recharge, water quality, or even the relationship between agriculture and the restoration of aquatic ecosystems. Water that is not wasted in the field is water that can be kept in rivers, wetlands, or natural reservoirs.

Training, Community, and Local Solutions

Training is a transformative tool. Therefore, we organize group workshops in the communities where we work, addressing topics such as:

  • Current water challenges in Mexico.
  • Rights and obligations of producers.
  • Tools for measuring soil moisture.
  • Alternative irrigation systems and their maintenance.
  • Successful cases of transition to sustainable agriculture.

These spaces not only generate knowledge but also strengthen community ties and foster the exchange of solutions that arise from the territory.

Beyond Water: Towards Regenerative Agriculture

Improving irrigation efficiency is just the first step. At Regenera Bajío, we seek to generate a systemic impact, where water security is articulated with climate resilience, rural well-being, and the agroecological transformation of the Mexican Bajío

This implies moving towards productive systems that:

  • Contribute to aquifer recharge.
  • Prevent the contamination of water bodies.
  • Strengthen community water projects.
  • Integrate into watershed management.
  • Respect natural water cycles.

Conclusion: Alliances for the Future of Water

In the face of the water crisis, we need concrete, scalable, and just solutions. Irrigation efficiency is not just a technical goal: it is a key strategy to ensure water today and tomorrow. But to achieve it, technology is not enough. It requires knowledge, accompaniment, and, above all, trust in the transformative capacity of the producers.

At Regenera Bajío, we continue to bet on this path: one that unites knowledge, promotes collective learning, and cares for water as the common good it is.

Learn more at https://aguasegura.com/

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Opinion note

💧World Water Day: Why Access to Water Strengthens Food Security and the Role of Rural Women

Every March 22nd, World Water Day invites us to reflect on a resource essential for life, health, ecosystems, and development. However, when we talk about water, the debate often centers solely on domestic access or infrastructure. While these issues are fundamental, water also sustains something equally vital: the ability to produce food and support entire communities.

In many regions of the world, access to water defines more than just daily life. It also determines who can plant, produce, sustain a family economy, and remain resilient in the face of the climate crisis. In this context, the link between water, agriculture, gender, and food security becomes increasingly evident.

At Agua Segura, we believe that speaking about water security implies looking at the entire system: access to water, watershed management, territorial resilience, and the impact water has on production, local development, and individual opportunities.

🌍 Water as the Foundation of Food Production

Water is one of the most decisive resources for agriculture. Without reliable and sustainable access to water, there is no stable production, no capacity to adapt to droughts, and no resilient food systems.

Globally, the agricultural sector is responsible for approximately 70% of freshwater use, demonstrating just how interconnected water and food production truly are. But this relationship isn’t just about volume; it’s about how water is managed, who can access it, what technologies are available, and how prepared communities are to face water scarcity scenarios.

In a context of increasing water stress, watershed degradation, and climate change, access to water for agriculture becomes a key condition to:

  • Strengthen food security.
  • Improve the climate resilience of production systems.
  • Reduce the vulnerability of rural communities.
  • Expand economic opportunities in agricultural territories.
  • Promote more efficient and sustainable production.

That is why, when we speak of safe water, we are not just talking about human consumption. We are also talking about the possibility of sustaining livelihoods, local production, and territorial development.

👩‍🌾 Women and Water: A Key Relationship for Food Security

The gender dimension is central to this conversation. According to the FAO, women represent approximately 43% of the global agricultural labor force. Furthermore, in many countries, they produce between 60% and 80% of all food.

Despite this fundamental role, rural women continue to face significant barriers in accessing:

  • Land and productive resources.
  • Financing and technical assistance.
  • Agricultural technology.
  • Irrigation systems.
  • Water storage and distribution infrastructure.

When water is scarce, these inequalities deepen. In contexts of water crisis, many women must dedicate more time to securing water for their homes, reducing their production possibilities or facing greater difficulties in sustaining crops, livestock, and family economies. This impacts not only their economic autonomy but also the food security of their communities.

Therefore, improving access to water is also a way to reduce structural gaps and strengthen the role of women in rural production systems.

🌱 Access to Water: Much More Than Resource Availability

Access to water is not limited to the physical existence of the resource. It also implies having the actual conditions to use it safely, efficiently, and sustainably.

This includes:

  • Adequate infrastructure.
  • Efficient irrigation systems.
  • Safe storage.
  • Protection and restoration of watersheds.
  • Local water governance.
  • Training and technical support.

In other words, improving access to water is not just about increasing supply, but about building more resilient, equitable, and sustainable systems.

A key figure highlights this: according to the FAO, if female farmers had the same access to productive resources as men, agricultural production could increase significantly—with estimates in some contexts reaching up to a 30% improvement in productive outcomes.

This data proves something fundamental: investing in water, infrastructure, technology, and equitable access does not just improve resource management. It can also transform production systems, strengthen rural economies, and contribute to greater global food security.

🌎 Water, Climate Resilience, and Rural Development

Climate change is intensifying water-related challenges. Prolonged droughts, extreme rainfall, precipitation variability, and ecosystem degradation are altering how rural communities produce food and manage their territories.

In this scenario, water becomes a decisive factor for climate resilience. When a community has access to safe water, adequate irrigation, efficient practices, and strengthened local governance, it improves its capacity to:

  • Adapt to periods of scarcity.
  • Sustain agricultural production.
  • Reduce losses.
  • Protect their livelihoods.
  • Make decisions based on information and planning.

For this reason, water is also an opportunity: an opportunity to build more resilient territories, more stable rural economies, and communities better prepared for climate uncertainty.

💧 Water Security with a Territorial and Social Focus

At Agua Segura, we work with the conviction that water security is not built through infrastructure alone. It requires an integrated approach that coordinates: Water, Production, Territory, Community, Education, Sustainability, and Equity.

Every watershed has its own dynamics, challenges, and opportunities. Therefore, solutions must be designed from the territory up, with local participation and a focus on measurable impact. When access to water improves, we are protecting more than just a resource; we are strengthening the possibilities to produce, sustain local economies, reduce inequalities, and build a more resilient future.

🌍 World Water Day: A Date to Expand the Conversation

World Water Day, commemorated every March 22nd, is an opportunity to remember that water is not just a natural resource: it is the foundation of life, health, production, and development.

It is also an opportunity to expand the conversation. To talk about water is to talk about food security, rural women, climate resilience, sustainable watershed management, and opportunities for communities.

Because when water is missing, it doesn’t just affect daily consumption. It weakens production systems, deepens inequalities, and limits people’s ability to build a better future. Conversely, when access to water improves, communities are strengthened, production is protected, and real conditions for a fairer and more sustainable development are created.

This March 22nd, we reaffirm one conviction: water also sustains communities, and guaranteeing its access is a key condition for food security and the resilience of our future.

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Opinion note

Less than 1% of the planet’s water is fit for human consumption: why water security is one of the greatest global challenges

We live on a planet covered in water. However, that image is deeply misleading.

Of the total water on Earth, about 97% is salt water, and nearly another 2% is trapped in glaciers and polar ice caps. This leaves less than 1% of freshwater available to supply more than eight billion people, sustain food production, cities, industry, and ecosystems.

That margin was already extremely limited. Today, it is under increasing pressure due to rising demand, watershed degradation, and the increasingly visible effects of climate change. In many territories, the problem is no longer just about how much water exists, but whether it is possible to access that essential resource in a safe, continuous, and sustainable way.

This context makes water security one of the primary global challenges of the 21st century.

🌍 The water crisis: a global problem with local impacts

The water crisis does not manifest the same way in every territory. In some places, it appears as extreme scarcity; in others, as contamination, supply interruptions, or inequality in access. But in all cases, it has a common denominator: increasing pressure on already fragile water systems.

Population growth, accelerated urbanization, and the intensification of productive uses have steadily increased the demand for water. Added to this is the degradation of watersheds—deforestation, soil loss, overexploitation of aquifers—and the impacts of climate change, which alter precipitation patterns and increase the frequency of droughts and floods.

In this scenario, guaranteeing safe water cannot be limited to simply increasing supply. It requires better management of that scarce 1% available by protecting sources, reducing losses, improving water quality, and strengthening local capacities for long-term sustainable management.

💧 From global diagnosis to territorial action

While the problem is global, solutions are always built at the local level, within the watershed. This is where it is decided how water is captured, distributed, used, and protected. That is why at Agua Segura, we work with a territorial approach, developing projects that combine infrastructure, technology, education, and community work.

🇧🇷 Brazil: access to safe water in contexts of urban vulnerability

In Rio de Janeiro, alongside Microsoft, we developed a project in the Vila Beira Mar community, where access to water was not stably guaranteed. In this context, water insecurity directly impacted the health, education, and quality of life of families.

The project included:

  • The installation of 15 community reservoirs.
  • The expansion of the distribution network with home connections for 70 families.
  • The delivery of 200 family water filters, as well as filters for schools and community centers.

These actions, carried out together with TETO Brasil, improved water availability and quality for more than 3,250 people while strengthening community management of the resource. In territories where every supply interruption has immediate consequences, guaranteeing safe water means reducing health risks and opening opportunities for development.

🇨🇱 Chile: safe water in a context of structural drought

In Chile, the central zone faces structural water scarcity, worsened by more than a decade of prolonged drought. In this context, access to drinking water and the reliability of existing systems become critical challenges, especially in rural communities.

Through Microsoft’s Water Positive program, we developed projects in Colina and Curacaví in collaboration with Rural Drinking Water (APR) cooperatives. The goal was to generate new water sources and improve their quality while strengthening local resource management.

The results include:

  • An estimated volumetric benefit of 4,500 m³ of water per year.
  • Direct impact on nearly 5,000 people.
  • Improvements in 14 schools.
  • WASH workshops to promote the safe and responsible use of water in drought contexts.

These projects demonstrate that water security depends not only on infrastructure but also on education, governance, and community participation.

🌎 Latin America: scalable solutions together with GRUNDFOS

A similar approach is applied to the projects we develop with GRUNDFOS in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina. Since 2020, these water access initiatives have reached more than 50,000 people through the implementation of 830 solutions, including:

  • Family filters.
  • Community dispensers.
  • Rainwater harvesting systems.
  • Improvements in storage and distribution.

In these contexts, every liter of safe water available has a direct impact on the health, education, and economic opportunities of communities. The scale of the challenge demands adaptable solutions that are always designed based on local reality.

🔄 Beyond volume: how water security is built

These projects show that the water crisis is not just a matter of global volume. Reducing losses, improving quality, bringing water closer to those who cannot access it, and strengthening local capacities are actions that make a difference when the resource is so limited.

Talking about water security implies:

  • Protecting and restoring watersheds.
  • Improving efficiency in productive uses.
  • Implementing nature-based solutions.
  • Committing to long-term investments with measurable impact.

When the available margin is less than 1%, every decision counts. The way we manage water today defines not only current access but the resilience of the water systems that future generations will depend on.

🌱 A shared challenge

Water does not belong to a single organization, sector, or territory. It is a shared, interconnected, and vulnerable resource. Therefore, building sustainable water security requires collaboration between communities, companies, governments, and civil society organizations.

At Agua Segura, we work to ensure that every project contributes to strengthening the entire system, from the watershed to the global stage. Because when it comes to water, sustainability is not an option: it is a condition for the future.

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Opinion note

A Year of Learning, Impact, and Vision: Highlights from 2025 at Agua Segura

We are closing out a 2025 that challenged us on multiple levels: environmental, economic, and social. It was a year that pushed us to adapt, to make difficult strategic decisions, to be creative in our execution, and, above all, to reaffirm our commitment to water security and the communities we support. Every project deployed, every community strengthened, and every step forward toward equitable access to safe water, water governance, and watershed health demonstrated that the path we have chosen is the right one.

Adaptation, Strategy, and Tangible Results

This year demanded more from us than ever: creativity, resilience, and operational excellence. Climate change and its consequences—ranging from extreme droughts to unpredictable weather events—driven us to rethink our approaches and prioritize solutions tailored to the local context.

We adjusted our strategies, optimized resources, and most importantly: we learned. We learned to look beyond the short term, to strengthen ties with communities, to further professionalize our processes, and to build indicators that reflect the true impact of our work. As a result, we achieved greater operational capacity, stronger teams, and a clearer vision for the future.

Projects that Left a Mark

Throughout 2025, we implemented community water projects focused on access, resource quality, and sustainability. From filtration and water treatment technologies in rural schools to watershed conservation actions, every initiative was designed alongside local partners and with the active participation of the communities.

We also expanded our work in WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), integrating education, infrastructure, and community engagement to achieve lasting changes in habits and sanitary conditions.

Innovation with Purpose

Innovation was a cross-cutting pillar of our work. In 2025, we accelerated the use of technological tools for water quality monitoring, developed more efficient aquifer recharge processes, and delved deeper into nature-based solutions as a response to the water crisis.

Additionally, we incorporated new processes for sustainable water management, traceability, and impact assessment—all of which are key to building projects that truly improve people’s lives.

Partnerships as the Engine of Change

None of this would be possible without our collaboration ecosystem. In 2025, we strengthened our alliances with local governments, foundations, companies, and social organizations. We share a common vision with them: that access to safe water is not just a necessity, but a fundamental human right and a vital tool for development.

Challenges brought us together, and thanks to that mutual trust, we were able to respond faster, implement more efficiently, and generate a greater impact.

Looking Ahead to 2026: A Clear Vision, a Renewed Commitment

We know that 2026 will bring new challenges. But it also finds us better prepared. In this upcoming year, we will:

  • Scale our impact to reach more rural and urban communities.
  • Strengthen our alliances across all sectors.
  • Accelerate innovation, especially in low-cost, high-effectiveness projects.
  • Continue building trust and transparency with those who support us.

We are driven by the conviction that we build comprehensive water solutions with high social, environmental, and economic value—solutions that adapt to the context and can be sustained over time.

To Those Who Walk Alongside Us

To our team, our partners, the communities we work with, and every person who believes in our purpose: thank you for being a part of this journey.

Impact is built together, with vision, commitment, and action.

Happy New Year!

🎥 Watch our 2025 video recap

Read more

Opinion note

💧World Water Day: Why Access to Water Strengthens Food Security and the Role of Rural Women

Read more

Opinion note

Less than 1% of the planet’s water is fit for human consumption: why water security is one of the greatest global challenges

Read more

Opinion note

A Year of Learning, Impact, and Vision: Highlights from 2025 at Agua Segura

Read more