Agriculture consumes 70–75% of the Maipo Basin’s water supply, making precision irrigation a key strategy for improving productivity, reducing water demand, and protecting groundwater. While adoption is growing, financial incentives are needed to expand farmer engagement and achieve large-scale water resilience. This project will focus on signing on farmers in the Maipo Basin to utilize Kilimo precision agriculture technology. The Kilimo team is deploying a Big Data solution—including satellite data, soil moisture tests, and real-time irrigation scheduling—to help farmers optimize water use for orchards, blueberries, and other high-value crops. Pilot analyses show that Kilimo systems improve water efficiency by at least 13%, reducing both pumping costs and carbon emissions, as over 40% of Chile’s electricity comes from fossil fuels. Farmers are eager to scale up this technology to advance sustainable agriculture.
Country: Chile
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High Andes Weltand Regeneration
We partnered with The Nature Conservancy Chile on a project that seeks to study wetlands across the High Andes with the goals of deepening local (and global) understanding of water quality, ground water storage, and agricultural best practices that can positively impact the ecosystem. The hope of the project is to leverage the understanding of the Andean Wetlands to develop a National protected status for the region. This is the 3rd year of the project conducting restoration efforts on 70 hectares of land, limiting livestock grazing in 4 protected areas (Langosta, Cruz de Piedra, Lagares, and Aparejo). Biodiversity has increased in several areas, and in 2024 a new plant species of viola has been discovered in the andean wetlands!
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Integrated Approach to Improve Irrigation Efficiencies Reservoir Repair
This project will rehabilitate the Unión Chilena Marco N°8 canal reservoir in Curacaví, which currently operates at 30% capacity due to sedimentation. The goal is to recover 70% of the lost water storage to increase irrigation supply for 19 small farmers. Activities include improving access roads, removing sediment with machinery, repairing the reservoir weir, and replacing the valve. Annual maintenance will ensure sustained storage and functionality through sediment removal and weeding (using herbicides with a manual sprayer).