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Water sowing and harvesting (WS&H) consists of a series of ancestral procedures by which humans collect and infiltrate (sow) rainwater and runoff underground, so as to recover (harvest) it downgradient at some later time. This management of the water has made it possible for various regions of Ibero-America that is, Latin America plus the Iberian Peninsula to overcome dramatic cultural and climatic changes over the centuries. The principles governing WS&H coincide with those pursued under the present paradigm of Integrated Water Resource Management. Moreover, WS&H implies a better use of water and enhanced conservation of the environment and patrimony, as well as recognition of rural communities as vital custodians of the land and of its relevant cultural aspects. The main WS&H systems that serve Ibero-American countries are described here, emphasizing the principles underlying this means of water management as exemplary of hydrogeoethical systems.

Water sowing and harvesting (WS&H) consists of a series of ancestral procedures by which humans collect and infiltrate (sow) rainwater and runoff underground, so as to recover (harvest) it downgradient at some later time. This management of the water has made it possible for various regions of Ibero-America that is, Latin America plus the Iberian Peninsula to overcome dramatic cultural and climatic changes over the centuries. The principles governing WS&H coincide with those pursued under the present paradigm of Integrated Water Resource Management. Moreover, WS&H implies a better use of water and enhanced conservation of the environment and patrimony, as well as recognition of rural communities as vital custodians of the land and of its relevant cultural aspects. The main WS&H systems that serve Ibero-American countries are described here, emphasizing the principles underlying this means of water management as exemplary of hydrogeoethical systems.

[ES] El rescate de la siembra y cosecha de agua, técnica ancestral de las civilizaciones, cada vez alcanza un mayor apogeo en los albores del siglo XXI, debido a su practicidad y eficiencia, pero sobre todo por los principios de sostenibilidad. La gestión del agua es un reto apremiante del siglo, ante el crecimiento de la población y la consecuente mayor demanda de agua y las acciones antrópicas que la contaminan, siendo el agua subterránea una alternativa al problema, y la siembra y cosecha de agua se presenta como una solución en diferentes zonas de la geografía regional. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar los sistemas de Siembra y Cosecha de Agua (SyCA) mediante las experiencias de los diferentes casos en Iberoamérica que configuran un mecanismo de cooperación y transferencia del rescate de estas técnicas ancestrales. La metodología comprende i) análisis comparativo de las técnicas de SyCA y sus características en varios países, ii) análisis FODA del proceso de rescate de SyCA mediante participación de cinco expertos internacionales, iii) estrategias para la sostenibilidad de los procesos de SyCA en países iberoamericanos. Actualmente se registran muchos casos de SyCA en Iberoamérica que presentan novedosos casos, trabajados preferencialmente por comunidades rurales que solucionan problemas de abastecimiento de agua del siglo XXI con técnicas ancestrales sostenibles de siembra y cosecha de agua., [EN] The rescue of water sowing and harvesting, an ancestral technique, is becoming increasingly popular at the dawn of the 21st century, due to its practicality and efficiency, but above all due to the sustainability principles. Water management is the challenge of the century, given the population growth and the consequent increased demand for water and the anthropic actions that pollute it, with groundwater being an alternative to the problem, and water sowing and harvesting is presented as a solution in different areas of the regional geography. The present work aims to analyze the systems of Water Sowing and Harvesting (SyCA, by its acronym in Spanish) through the study of the different cases in Iberoamerica that configure a mechanism of cooperation and transfer of the rescue of these ancestral techniques. The methodology includes i) matrix of comparative analysis of SyCA techniques and their characteristics, ii) SWOT analysis of the SyCA rescue process through the participation of five international experts, iii) strategies for the sustainability of SyCA processes in Iberoamerican countries. Currently, there are many cases of SyCA inIberoamerica presenting novel cases, worked by rural communities that have a sustainability approach.