addressing water scarcity in a changing climate
WORDS AND IMAGES BY SHERRI HARVEY AND NANCY ROACH
EDITED BY TAMARA BLAZQUEZ HAIK
Water—the most crucial element for the existence of life—is often taken for granted when it is abundant. However as the climate warms, droughts—caused by both natural causes and human activities—become a daily reality in more and more places, but especially in communities that rely on natural processes and landscapes the most.
Ecosystem services are available because of the “intactness” of natural landscapes, however they are becoming depleted as human-made changes to the environment, such as dams, irrigation channels, etc, threaten the survival of communities and wildlife that rely on these services.
Droughts are amplified by the overuse of natural resources, population growth, rainfall shortages, floods, heat waves and land degradation. Additionally, mismanagement of land and water rights, pollution of water, illegal drilling, industrial agriculture and defunct water storage facilities increase the threat of water shortages worldwide; from California to India, to Africa and to Andalusia in Spain.
The Tabernas-Sorbas basin has some of the driest weather in the world. This is the landscape. Image by Sherri Harvey.
Andalusia, located in Southeastern Spain—one of the driest regions in Europe—has become a major hub of industrial agriculture. With access to groundwater from the 1000-year-old aquifers and an abundance of sun, the rapidly expanding super-intensive olive plantations and the greenhouses in Campo de Dalías are sucking water from the ground at unprecedented speed rates never before seen.
In the past, water ran from the ground naturally at an average rate of 40 liters per second, but by 2023 it has come down to only 7 liters per second. Both the olive plantations and the plastic greenhouses pose a threat to the water supply in the region as 60% of Andalusia is covered with olive plantations.
The town of Marina is experiencing drought as a result of rainfall shortages and over-exploitation of water. Image by Sherri Harvey.
While it is true that both industries generate income and provide jobs for Spain, as well as 1.2 million tonnes of olive oil annually and 3 million tons of fruits and vegetables a year, with water shortages from climate change and the shifts in weather, the aquifers in southern Spain could dry up in only 10 years.
“I feel sad, honestly. I feel sad that some regions like this are probably going to struggle a lot about water scarcity.”
Spain’s water crisis is rooted in colonialism as its hydro-territorial policies have historically benefited urban and touristic settlements over local and rural communities with water transfers that are depleting the aquifers (source). It is also worth noting that the energy crisis in Europe is forcing countries to turn to renewable energy sources that, according to experts, “use wide areas to locate the necessary infrastructure for production, transport and storage, altering territories with agricultural, cultural and ecological values.” Megaprojects for these enterprises in Spain’s southern territories create a vast array of social and ecological conflicts as well as resistances related to the internal colonialism and colonial policies in the country.
The Domo, Sunseed's meeting place. Image by Nancy Roach.
However, and in order to change this reality and to prevent the further depletion of aquifers, Sunseed Desert Technology—a community located south of the Tabernas-Sorbas Basin in the desert of Almeríaonly five hours south of Madrid—proposes solutions for a socio-ecological perspective of water management.
Sunseed sits in an ancient Andalusian village along the Los Molinos de Río Aguas, calling themselves “a non-formal Education project”. The community of around 30 people lives collectively off the grid; electricity is provided by solar panels and water comes from the river.
For 35 years, this ever-changing community has researched, experimented and shaped people from around the world willing to join the movement towards a more thoughtful and sustainable lifestyle that focuses on the education and inspiration of creating intentional communities that aim to live in a sustainable and ecologically-friendly manner.
Vegetables sustainably grown at Sunseed. Image by Nancy Roach.
“I feel overwhelmed by the impossibility of what I can do to fix the water issue,” shares Mónica Adán, a member of the Sunseed Desert Technology community. Similar to the other ten thousand eco-village communities all over the world, the community aims to produce the least possible negative impact on the natural environment through intentional physical design and resident behavior choices to tackle the water crisis as much as they can.
Mónica Adán demonstrares a parabolic cooker at Sunseed. Image by Sherri Harvey.
Sunseed Desert Technology is also focused on regenerative agriculture using sustainable farming techniques to restore soil health and increase biodiversity. These techniques include crop rotation, cover cropping, composting and using natural pest control methods which together all prevent soil depletion and enhance soil nutrient levels.
People in the community use the water from the Rio Aguas for their crops and recycle all the water they use to shower or wash dishes while also using solar energy to power their operations and to reduce their carbon footprint.
Additionally, people are educated through community-based activities like classes, tours and even artist residencies, as Sunseed’s mission is to educate and inform the world on the water crisis that so many people all over the world do not yet recognize as a threat.
As on of these educational activities, in 2023, one group of young activist-artist grad students from Barcelona came to Sunseed with the objective of researching water cultures at Sunseed. Their process resulted in writing and performing a play that walked viewers along the river while narrating a story about the realities of life without water, making the audience think about the importance of water conservation in general.
Bringing the week's food supplies in at Sunseed. Image by Nancy Roach.
“I feel sad, honestly. I feel sad that some regions like this are probably going to struggle a lot about water scarcity and then in other regions of the world they're gonna struggle for the completely opposite reason: having so much water,” says Mónica, as both physical water scarcity—where natural water resources are unable to meet the region’s demand—and poor water management as well as the over exploitation of the systems already in place, are to blame for water shortages.
As many other countries are facing the same water-related issues, it’s of utmost importance to understand where the water we use comes from, and local initiatives such as Sunseed are shining a light on the importance of implementing community-based, scientific, creative and innovative solutions that can help ensure access to water for future generations.
To learn more about the work of Sunseed Desert Technology visit their website.
