Development of Peru's Asparagus Industry

The asparagus industry in Ica, Peru exports asparagus across the world and is the economic engine of the region. The rapid expansion of the region, however, has caused a water shortage and both groundwater and aboveground water sources are being depleted faster than they are being replenished. Furthermore, the water is being used by different groups that each blame the other for the shortage: small farmers argue that the large agroexporters are depleting the region’s aquifers with their large-scale drip irrigation operations, while agroexporters argue that the small farmers are being wasteful with aboveground water which they use to water their fields via flood irrigation. This case explores how Fernando Cilloniz, regional president of Ica, makes difficult policy choices in the face of a water shortage.