GESTIÓN DE RIESGOS CLIMÁTICOS PARA LOS RECURSOS HÍDRICOS Y LA AGRICULTURA EN LA REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA: ENFOQUE CENTRADO EN LA CUENCA DEL YAQUE DEL SUR

This report evaluates climate risks and management capacities for the water and agriculture sectors in the Dominican Republic, with a specific focus on the Yaque del Sur basin. It combines scientific modeling (WEAP and DSSAT) with participatory community research to identify vulnerabilities and propose adaptation strategies. The analysis highlights a critical water deficit in the Yaque del Sur basin, exacerbated by rising temperatures and declining precipitation, which threatens food security and rural livelihoods. The report identifies significant gaps in institutional coordination between disaster risk management and climate change adaptation bodies and recommends a comprehensive national program to integrate these approaches, improve data accessibility, and implement specific field-level interventions such as crop diversification and irrigation efficiency improvements.

• The Yaque del Sur basin is the third largest in the Dominican Republic and faces severe water stress. Modeling indicates that the basin is already in deficit, with demand exceeding availability by 343 million m3 in 2010, a gap projected to increase to 519 million m3 by 2050.
• Observed climate trends in the Dominican Republic since 1960 show an increase in average temperatures of approximately 0.45°C and a decrease in precipitation of 4.5% per decade, although the consistency of the precipitation trend is debated.
• Future climate projections for the Yaque del Sur basin suggest a continued warming trend, with average temperatures rising from 28.8°C in 2010 to 29.8°C by 2050. Annual precipitation is projected to remain stable until 2025 but drop to 766 mm by 2050.
• Agriculture in the Yaque del Sur basin is highly vulnerable to climate threats. Key crops such as tomatoes, corn, and peppers will require more water for optimal growth or face significant production reductions due to increased evaporation and decreased rainfall.
• The Dominican Republic's institutional framework for climate risk is fragmented. There is no official coordination between the National System for Prevention, Mitigation and Response to Disasters (SNPMRD) and the bodies managing climate change, such as the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism (CNCCMDL).
• Climate data in the Dominican Republic is fragmented and difficult to access because different agencies, primarily INDRHI and the National Meteorological Office, manage separate networks and do not openly communicate data.
• Participatory research identified seven priority strategies for the Yaque del Sur basin: selecting drought-resistant crop varieties (e.g., sorghum and mangoes), making rural access roads climate-resilient, building water reservoirs in the upper basin, implementing agroforestry systems, creating a payment for ecosystem services plan for reforestation, increasing irrigation efficiency from 20% to 45%, and improving climate data monitoring.
• Increasing irrigation efficiency by 25% in the Yaque del Sur basin could reduce agricultural water demand by approximately 250 million m3 per year, significantly mitigating the projected water deficit.
• Climate risks threaten national development goals, including the 'National Development Strategy' targets for poverty reduction and inequality decrease, as rural populations dependent on agriculture face declining incomes and food insecurity.
• The report recommends establishing a comprehensive national climate risk management program that integrates disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, centralizes climate data, and strengthens the technical capacity of government personnel.

APA

Keller, M., & Zamudio-Trigo, A. N. (2013). GESTIÓN DE RIESGOS CLIMÁTICOS PARA LOS RECURSOS HÍDRICOS Y LA AGRICULTURA EN LA REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA: ENFOQUE CENTRADO EN LA CUENCA DEL YAQUE DEL SUR. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_dom_republic_es.pdf

Chicago

Keller, Marius, and Alicia Natalia Zamudio-Trigo. GESTIÓN DE RIESGOS CLIMÁTICOS PARA LOS RECURSOS HÍDRICOS Y LA AGRICULTURA EN LA REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA: ENFOQUE CENTRADO EN LA CUENCA DEL YAQUE DEL SUR. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2013. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_dom_republic_es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Keller |first1=Marius |last2=Zamudio-Trigo |first2=Alicia Natalia |title=GESTIÓN DE RIESGOS CLIMÁTICOS PARA LOS RECURSOS HÍDRICOS Y LA AGRICULTURA EN LA REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA: ENFOQUE CENTRADO EN LA CUENCA DEL YAQUE DEL SUR |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2013 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_dom_republic_es.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{keller2013gestin, author = {Keller, Marius and Zamudio-Trigo, Alicia Natalia}, title = {{GESTIÓN DE RIESGOS CLIMÁTICOS PARA LOS RECURSOS HÍDRICOS Y LA AGRICULTURA EN LA REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA: ENFOQUE CENTRADO EN LA CUENCA DEL YAQUE DEL SUR}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2013}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/crm_dom_republic_es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }