A lot needs to happen to understand exactly how a region can meet water needs more efficiently. And the research process can be complex. A great example of this is the work DWFI is doing in Bahia, Brazil, with local partners from the Association of Farmers and Irrigators of Bahia (AIBA), the Federal Universities of Viçosa and Rio de Janeiro (UFV and UFRJ), and the State Government of Bahia. The partners are collaborating to manage water from the Urucuia Aquifer—a large underground cache bearing many similarities to Nebraska’s High Plains Ogallala Aquifer.
Improved, more sustainable management of the Urucuia aquifer water for agriculture would be a huge boon, not only to Bahia farmers but to the entire region, financially and environmentally. Currently, most of the water used for irrigation is being pumped from local rivers. In addition, the research could provide a useful roadmap for other regions in the world seeking more efficient management of water resources.
In the first step of a planned five-step process, DWFI’s Director of Research Christopher Neale is working with UFRJ graduate student Glauco Eger, DWFI Faculty Fellows Troy Gilmore and Aaron Mittelstet, and faculty partners in Rio de Janeiro and Viçosa Federal Universities. The team is creating a specific groundwater model to better understand the Urucuia Aquifer and demands on it.
Regulating water use in Bahia can be difficult due to existing state and federal water rights management structures. Researchers in Bahia reached out to DWFI for help with this project, in part, because of Nebraska’s unique and successful groundwater governance structure and water management solutions. The Brazilian researchers also knew of DWFI’s international ties and successful projects elsewhere in the world.
Recently, the project received preliminary funding from a fund of the Bahia state government to study the installation of several river flow monitoring stations and groundwater monitoring wells. This will allow further monitoring of the aquifer and connected river systems as irrigation well permits are activated in the future.
As a result of COVID-19, the researchers have had to overcome a variety of challenges, including travel restrictions and cancelation of farmer education workshops. In spite of these obstacles, Eger was able to substantially advance modeling of the aquifer and DWFI obtained an extension on his J-1 visa, allowing him to remain in Nebraska and continue working. Eger also successfully defended his dissertation and achieved his doctorate degree from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
Future steps on the project include looking at possible changes in governance of Bahia’s groundwater system; establishing regular monitoring and evaluation of the aquifer and water resources; applying Nebraska irrigation management practices to assist Bahia farmers; and exploring ways to help smallholder farmers use technology to improve irrigation use.
The mild climate of Bahia offers multiple growing seasons, and irrigation allows farmers to produce two-and-a-half or three crops each year. With a reliable model of the aquifer, information from the monitoring stations and a reduction in the complexity of state water management protocols, the researchers believe Bahia’s multi-crop farmers will be able to use aquifer water efficiently. This advancement could significantly increase long-term water sustainability and maximize crop water productivity.
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