Impacto Económico del Agua de Riego en Sistemas Productivos Rurales: Un Enfoque de Tarifación Diferenciada en Ecuador

Climate change has a global impact, particularly in rural areas of developing countries, where declining water sources affect both human consumption and agriculture. Agriculture, in turn, supports the production of food for human and animal consumption, as well as raw materials for biofuels and luxury products. Each of these production systems generates different economic returns, influenced by factors such as crop profitability, cultivated area, and water use technology. In this context, the aim of this study was to analyze the equitable distribution of the benefits and costs associated with water allocation for irrigation among family farming, livestock production, and export-oriented floriculture systems. The study was conducted in the Tabacundo irrigation canal system, located in Pichincha Province, Ecuador. This system serves 3,200 users and covers an area of 4,200 hectares, managed by an inter-community user organization under a community-based water management approach. Through interviews, surveys, and workshops with leaders and users, data were collected on production costs and revenues. Additionally, a historical review of the canal’s administration provided information on management expenses and the fee system based on irrigation turns. The results showed that floriculture is more profitable than traditional agriculture and livestock production, suggesting the feasibility of implementing a differentiated tariff system based on cultivated area, production system, and crop profitability. This research enabled the estimation of the economic value of water and the proposal of a fair financial contribution scheme in which more profitable production systems contribute more than less profitable ones.