New aqueduct and canal works secure water for Argentina's herds and orchards

Two of Argentina's key farming regions have modernised their irrigation systems so that water is used more efficiently, the World Bank reported in a feature published on 10 April 2026. In the south of Córdoba province, a new livestock aqueduct, a pipeline that carries water to farms, has given producers reliable water and recovered 50,000 productive hectares. In the Río Negro Valley, an export hub for apples, pears and nuts, new irrigation works have let production expand across 4,000 hectares.

Both investments were made under the Integrated Risk Management Program for the Rural Agrifood System, known as GIRSAR, which the World Bank supports. The programme aims to manage risk in rural agribusiness across Argentina, and water is at its centre.

In southern Córdoba, the Livestock Aqueduct of the Presidente Roque Sáenz Peña Department has transformed thousands of hectares between Laboulaye and General Levalle. According to a 27 November 2024 report by the Argentine farm outlet Bichos de Campo, Governor Martín Llaryora inaugurated the aqueduct at a ceremony in Riobamba. The work laid 100 kilometres of pipe at a cost of close to 10 million US dollars, financed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), part of the World Bank.

Much of the area has a sodic subsoil and saline groundwater, which made good water for cattle hard to find. The World Bank said that by securing quality water in an area long vulnerable, the work protects livestock farming against climate risks and stabilises livelihoods in communities such as La Providencia, La Ramada and Santa Ana. With reliable water, 128 producers will be able to double their stocking rates and improve the metabolic efficiency of their herds, reducing livestock mortality. Bichos de Campo reported the goal as going from 21,000 head of cattle to double that.

Viedma, the capital of Río Negro province, lies on the southern bank of the Negro River about 30 kilometres from the Atlantic coast. Irrigation in the lower valley around it is run by the Lower Valley Development Institute (IDEVI), created in 1961 by provincial Law 200 with a plan to develop 73,525 hectares of productive land, built up in stages as fruit and vegetable plots, dairy farms and livestock farms.

After more than fifty years in operation, the World Bank said, IDEVI's irrigation system has been fully modernised to deliver water on time and reliably to the 500 farms around Viedma, an area recognised as Argentina's leading producer of hazelnuts. Two years before the report, works began to line a critical section of the main canal, replace and mechanise the gates and install sensors that measure water flow. Farming practices were improved alongside the engineering so that future production stays sustainable.

The projects fit the argument of a World Bank Group report, Nourish and Flourish: Water Solutions to Feed 10 Billion People on a Livable Planet. The report finds that the world does not necessarily face a water shortage but a severe imbalance: some regions are depleting their aquifers while others have water and need smarter decisions to use it well. If water use is rebalanced, the report says, the world can feed 10 billion people by 2050 and generate 245 million jobs in the process.

For small and medium producers in both provinces the change is practical. A rancher in Roque Sáenz Peña can carry more animals on the same land with fewer losses, and a grower near Viedma can open the irrigation gate knowing there will be enough water for the crop.

Photo: Jonydiaz / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources: World Bank, Bichos de Campo, Wikipedia