Irrigation in small areas. The SENARA actions in this field

Abstract

The National Service of Groundwater, Irrigation and Drainage (SENARA) is the institution specialized in groundwater, irrigation, drainage and flow control. It started in 1983, with the construction of the Arenal-Tempisque Irrigation Project, which supports 20000 ha of surface irrigation, near Cañas and Bagaces, serving 800 producers. With private investment and under SENARA's supervision, there is another irrigation structure under construction between Piedras and Cabuyo rivers, to develop 8900 ha, which will benefit 129 farmers. In 1987, the National Plan of Irrigation and Drainage in Small Areas was elaborated. The objective of this Plan is to provide irrigation water to small and medium-farmer organizations, allowing them to break the seasonality crop harvests, to minimize the risks derived from climatic instability and to stimulate diversification and a more efficient use of production factors. These benefits will contribute to improve their life quality, which might guarantee that they will keep their production systems, therefore reducing migration to the cities, and taking the beneficiaries away from the poverty line. In 1987 the first irrigation project for small areas was constructed in San Bernardo de Bagaces, in Guanacaste. Later, in 1990, the irrigation project in Tierra Blanca de Cartago was constructed, and so on in other regions of the country. This projects were constructed with specific public founds (PL-480, IDA); currently the only financial source comes from the Productive Reconversion Program of the National Production Council (CNP). Today, there are 75 projects operating in small areas, which irrigate 2184 ha and benefit 1596 families.