New Mexico’s historic acequia system faces new challenges from climate change

New Mexico’s centuries-old acequias, communal irrigation canals vital to local farming, are struggling to adapt as climate change worsens droughts and threatens water supplies.

Lourdes Medrano reports for Undark.

In short:

• Acequias, gravity-fed irrigation canals, have sustained New Mexico farmers for generations but face declining water due to rising temperatures and drought.
• The acequia system promotes shared water use, but conflicts arise as water is increasingly treated as a commodity, bought and sold for individual profit.
• Advocates work to protect acequia traditions, seeing them as key to sustainable water management and community survival in an arid region.

Key quote:

“We have to protect the water that we have for future generations.”

— Jorge Garcia, South Valley resident

Why this matters:

As droughts intensify, preserving acequias can help recharge aquifers and maintain water supplies for both farms and communities. These ancient systems could be crucial in sustaining local agriculture amid climate instability.