Water Sowing and Harvesting (SyCA), ancestral techniques that solve problems of the XXI century

Abstract

The rescue of water sowing and harvesting, an ancestral technique, is becoming increasingly popular at the dawn of the 21st century, due to its practicality and efficiency, but above all due to the sustainability principles. Water management is the challenge of the century, given the population growth and the consequent increased demand for water and the anthropic actions that pollute it, with groundwater being an alternative to the problem, and water sowing and harvesting is presented as a solution in different areas of the regional geography. The present work aims to analyze the systems of Water Sowing and Harvesting (SyCA, by its acronym in Spanish) through the study of the different cases in Iberoamerica that configure a mechanism of cooperation and transfer of the rescue of these ancestral techniques. The methodology includes i) matrix of comparative analysis of SyCA techniques and their characteristics, ii) SWOT analysis of the SyCA rescue process through the participation of five international experts, iii) strategies for the sustainability of SyCA processes in Iberoamerican countries. Currently, there are many cases of SyCA in Iberoamerica presenting novel cases, worked by rural communities that have a sustainability approach.