CATIE presents evidence on the contribution of community water associations to water security at a global congress

• Róger Madrigal, researcher at CATIE’s Environmental Economics and Sustainable Agribusiness Unit (UEAAS/EfD), shared preliminary findings from a research project examining how community water organizations strengthen water security through ecosystem conservation.

CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) participated in the AIDA World Water Law Congress 2026, one of the leading international events on water law and governance, held from June 24 to 26 in Oslo, Norway.

Representing CATIE, Róger Madrigal, coordinator of the Environmental Economics and Sustainable Agribusiness Unit (UEAAS/EfD), presented preliminary findings from a research project that examines how the Administrative Associations of Water Supply and Sanitation Systems (ASADAS) and their federations in Costa Rica strengthen water governance and contribute to addressing challenges such as water scarcity, pollution, and climate change.

The presentation took place during the session Responding to Water Scarcity: Law, Policy Instruments, and Governance Approaches, where experts from different countries exchanged experiences on legal instruments, public policies, and governance mechanisms to respond to the growing pressure on water resources.

Conservation to protect water sources

The research is part of a project funded by the Tinker Foundation and carried out by a team of researchers from CATIE, Seattle University, and the Pontifical Xavierian University (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana). The study seeks to understand how federations of community water organizations strengthen local water resource management and enhance the adaptive capacity of rural communities in the face of changing environmental conditions.

One of the findings presented during the congress shows that nearly 30% of Costa Rica’s ASADAS own at least one property dedicated to the conservation of water sources and aquifer recharge areas that supply their drinking water systems. This conservation strategy tends to be more common in regions facing greater threats from agricultural pollution and urban development pressure. However, it is also more prevalent among larger ASADAS with stronger financial and administrative capacities, suggesting that scaling up this conservation strategy requires targeted support for smaller and more vulnerable water associations.

"ASADAS demonstrate that communities can strengthen water security by investing not only in pipes and storage tanks, but also in the ecosystems that sustain water sources," said Madrigal.

These findings aligned with the congress's central theme, Water Law and Governance in Times of Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss, which promoted the exchange of experiences on innovative mechanisms to strengthen water governance in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Research to strengthen water governance

In addition to documenting successful initiatives, the project seeks to identify the governance practices, partnerships, and institutional mechanisms that enable federations of community water organizations to respond to increasingly complex environmental challenges.

The research team is currently conducting fieldwork with federations in Costa Rica and Colombia to generate evidence that will contribute to the development of recommendations for policymakers, community organizations, and other stakeholders involved in water management across Latin America.

CATIE's participation in this international congress provided an opportunity to share these advances with researchers, policymakers, and specialists from different countries, strengthening knowledge exchange on community-based solutions to improve water security and resilience to climate change.