Tenencia de tierra y aguas de pequeños y medianos agricultores del valle de Azapa, Arica, Chile

Azapa is one of the coastal valleys of Arica and Parinacota region, in the extreme north of Chile, that presents exceptional climatic conditions for the cultivation of vegetables off season, being the main supplier of vegetables in the Central area during the winter. The high cost of land and little water availability has encouraged technological improvements in production processes to maintain this sustainable activity over time. The aim of this study was to describe the land tenure by farm size and the number of shares of water associated with the exploitation of small and medium farmers in Azapa Valley. For this, a survey was conducted on a sample corresponding to the 5% of farmers of Azapa valley. The results indicate that 27% of farmers surveyed have less of an action of water per hectare; 35% have more than one share of water per hectare and 38% have an action of water per hectare.