With the help of IIDAA (the Instituto de Investigacion y Desarrollo Andino-Amazonico), a local NGO based in Cuzco, the water has become a source of peace. The irrigation trenches have become the unifying veins of the villages.
The project is sprinkling irrigation using the force of gravity as the
only motor. The Incas used irrigation in this same region to increase
their agricultural productivity and thereby solidify their political
power. But, they didn’t have PVC tubes. From the source of water in the
village of Usi, eight kilometers (five miles) of tube were laid
underground in order to supply four communities comprised of 600
families, or around 3,000 people, with water. | 
Sergio (at left) tests the sprinklers
|
Turning a valve to secure her future“I can water whenever I want without looking to the sky,” rejoices Magarita Quispe Pacca watching engineer Sergio Mora install a sprinkler for her small parcel of land where she grows potatos. “I just have to turn a valve!”, she adds.
| It is extraordinary to see these dry, steep slopes become exploitable
land. The Incas cultivated at these altitudes (4,000 meters). But they
depended on the rain and on deviating small creeks. Modern irrigation
doesn’t create erosion and no one has to work bent over an entire day
with a hoe to guide the water flow over his/her crops.
|
“With this new system of irrigation, the farmers can produce two, maybe even three, harvests a year,” says Sergio Mora, president of IIDAA. “The farmers can double their income and have a better guaranty against the risks of the weather.”
But it is also a long patient psychological process. “It took four long years of discussions with the Usis before we could convince them to share the water,” sighs Sergio. From the law’s point of view, the water belongs to the State. But without the authorization of the Usis, any work would be mysteriously sabotaged during the night.
“Our success comes from the fact that we understand the farmers,” points out Sergio. “I don’t have either a driver or a secretary. My hands are hardened and the people here see me work with them. They respect me. The practical success of these farmers is the best argument to convince others. Many come here with plans and promises. We come with experience and trust.”
The culture of “papas”  |
The villagers participate in the projects as well. Taking turns between
the benefiting communities, whole villages come out to dig trenches for
the tubes. Women with babies bound in colorful blankets on the backs
break the hard, dry ground with their picks. The elderly, adolescents
and, of course, the men all pool their efforts. |
“Mil gracias!” (a thousand thanks!), repeats Serapio Rojas Armuto, a
small man darkened by an entire life spent toiling under the high
altitude sun. “I grow papas (potatos), alfalfa and beans and now I have
a surplus to sell at the market.”
IIDAA is sponsored by the NGO “A Bridge to Latin America” based in
Luxembourg. “Our objective is to create projects viable in the long
term,” explains Monique Dahm, member of “the Bridge.” | 
Serapio explains the benefits.
|
This irrigation project is financed for five years, but it will benefit these people for another 50 years. We don’t give them food, but we help them produce their own food.”
Pix-Aid is working with both IIDAA and The Bridge to help finance more irrigation projects, giving entire villages the chance to live a dignified life. These projects also enable young families to continue to make a living off the land and help to encourage them not to leave for the city slums, congestion or worse.
