CATIE launches app to select optimal sites for runoff water harvesting

• CATIE's "Cosecha H2O" app facilitates the identification of areas suitable for water harvesting works, improving adaptability to climate change.

December 13, 2023. CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) has presented a technological tool, the "Cosecha H2O" app, designed to identify and select strategic sites for runoff water harvesting. This initiative, developed in collaboration with the Adaptation of Agriculture to Climate Change through Water Harvesting in Nicaragua project, seeks to promote climate resilience and food security in vulnerable communities.

The application, the result of the analysis of more than 800 water harvesting works in Nicaragua, combines statistical and geospatial analysis to identify optimal areas at the farm level for the construction of water harvesting infrastructure. The deployment of this technology is based on the technical publication entitled: Geospatial tool for the identification and selection of potential sites for the construction of runoff water harvesting works in the Central American Dry Corridor (Rios and Benegas, 2022), which led to the development of the QGis plugin "Cosecha H2O".

The official launch of the app took place in September, in Managua, Nicaragua. The app, available in both web and mobile versions, already has a specific chapter for the Nicaraguan Dry Corridor, and chapters for other areas, such as St. Kitts-Nevis, Costa Rica, Chile and Peru, are in process.

Experts who have used the tool, such as Néstor López, highlight its potential to address climate challenges and improve water availability in changing environments. According to López, Cosecha H2O is extremely useful for identifying optimal sites, backed up by field visits and direct observations.

Laura Benegas, leader of CATIE's Watershed, Water Security and Soil Unit, says that the intention is to expand the use of the application to other countries. To this end, collaboration agreements are already being established with institutions such as the Institute for Agricultural Innovation of Panama (IDIAP), the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) of Costa Rica, and the Autonomous University of Chile, among others.

Ney Ríos, researcher at CATIE's Watershed, Water Security and Soil Unit, highlights three fundamental aspects of the app: its basis in natural solutions, its statistical and geospatial support, as well as its user-friendliness in identifying suitable areas.

The "Cosecha H2O" app is already available for download and aims to be a key tool for efficient water management in agricultural environments.

Recursos adicionales

• Descriptive video of the app: ver aquí
• Methodological document and plugin: acceder aquí
• App download link: descargar aquí