Climate change and irrigated agriculture towards a better understanding of driving forces and feedbacks between decision makers and biophysical environments and their impacts on hydrological cycle and land use

This fact sheet details research on the interactions between climate change, land use, and irrigation in the Rio Segundo basin (Argentina) and the Maipo river basin (Chile). Key findings include a massive shift toward soy bean production in Rio Segundo driven by globalization and increased rainfall, the impact of ENSO on crop yields, and a projected increase in water right failure rates in the Maipo basin due to global warming.

• In the Rio Segundo basin, agricultural land use shifted significantly over a little more than a decade, with soy bean area increasing nearly 18 times, leading to a decline in livestock production, hay crops, and groundnut production.
• Agricultural expansion in the Rio Segundo basin was driven by a combination of globalization and a steady increase in minimum temperatures and precipitation during the final decades of the 20th century.
• In the Rio Segundo basin, farmers identify early frosts in April, late frosts in mid-November, hailstorms, and irrigation water shortages as the primary climate risks to production.
• Crop yields in the Rio Segundo basin are influenced by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO); summer crops see higher yields during El Niño years and lower yields during La Niña years, while wheat shows the opposite trend.
• Analysis of the Maipo river basin indicates that under global warming scenarios, the probability of permanent water rights failing to meet increased demand could rise to 40-50%, compared to a current failure rate of 6-20%.

APA

Meza, F. J., Donoso, G., Gurovich, L., Gilabert, H., Wilks, D. S., Letson, D., Travasso, M. I., & Garrido, E. (2010). Climate change and irrigated agriculture towards a better understanding of driving forces and feedbacks between decision makers and biophysical environments and their impacts on hydrological cycle and land use. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/SGP-HD_3.pdf

Chicago

Meza, Francisco J., Guillermo Donoso, Luis Gurovich, Horacio Gilabert, Daniel. S. Wilks, David Letson, María Isabel Travasso, and Enrique Garrido. Climate change and irrigated agriculture towards a better understanding of driving forces and feedbacks between decision makers and biophysical environments and their impacts on hydrological cycle and land use. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, 2010. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/SGP-HD_3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Meza |first1=Francisco J. |last2=Donoso |first2=Guillermo |last3=Gurovich |first3=Luis |last4=Gilabert |first4=Horacio |last5=Wilks |first5=Daniel. S. |last6=Letson |first6=David |last7=Travasso |first7=María Isabel |last8=Garrido |first8=Enrique |title=Climate change and irrigated agriculture towards a better understanding of driving forces and feedbacks between decision makers and biophysical environments and their impacts on hydrological cycle and land use |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |date=May 2010 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/SGP-HD_3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{meza2010climate, author = {Meza, Francisco J. and Donoso, Guillermo and Gurovich, Luis and Gilabert, Horacio and Wilks, Daniel. S. and Letson, David and Travasso, María Isabel and Garrido, Enrique}, title = {{Climate change and irrigated agriculture towards a better understanding of driving forces and feedbacks between decision makers and biophysical environments and their impacts on hydrological cycle and land use}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/03/SGP-HD_3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }