Adopted to ensure food security, irrigated agriculture and irrigation technologies have important implications for food production and agrarian systems. This paper analyzes the impacts of irrigation in a semi-arid region, considering the technical and social dimensions, as well as the symbolic meaning of the changes. The study area is the Forquilha Valley, a semi-arid basin in Ceará, Northeastern Brazil, which experienced substantial changes following the implementation of a drip irrigation project in 1998. Our analysis employs a socio-technical approach. We conducted a participatory diagnosis and interviews with key stakeholders. The results demonstrate that introducing irrigation has fostered new agricultural practices, crop diversification, and improved farmers' perceptions of their rural area and farming systems. In addition to conventional agriculture (the dominant regime), a niche agro-ecological system has developed with the support of NGOs and other actors. This analysis of the irrigation project's effects highlights the complexity of socio-technical linkages and the inherent challenges in transitioning to more sustainable systems.
Leite et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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