Governance issues around agricultural land use and water demand for irrigation in the Vinces River basin (Ecuador)

Abstract The Vinces river basin has a high agricultural aptitude, this has allowed the intensive development of agricultural crops that provide a significant amount of foreign exchange for the country at the cost of strong pressure on the water resource for irrigation and that have displaced important native vegetation. In this context, it is necessary to exercise governance in such a way as to guarantee the management and territorial development of the basin. The objective of this work is to identify the governance problems related to the agricultural use of the land and the demand for water for irrigation of crops in the Vinces river basin. The present investigation entailed the analysis of the current situation of the general administration of the water basins in Ecuador and especially of this important basin in the center of the country, the analysis of the conceptual frameworks of governance and the compilation of digital geoinformation with its subsequent processing in Geographic Information Systems, the tabulation of official statistical information and field verification of the management of agricultural crops. The main agricultural coverage of the basin under study expressed by the agricultural crops of banana, cocoa and oil palm exert great pressure for the space and water of the basin for irrigation in the long period of summer drought. The figures collected from the historical water concessions for irrigation of the basin by the environmental authority do not reflect the true volume used by the agricultural sector.