Gestion del agua subterranea de uso agricola: los retos de la sostenibilidad socio-ambiental y la equidad

Groundwater supports the livelihood of millions of people living in rural and urban areas around the world. Based on the theory of access, in this article we present how the development of the use of groundwater has contributed to human well-being in various parts of the world; and how its intensive use is causing health and access to water problems in vulnerable populations due to overexploitation of aquifers. We show the difficulties faced by state regulation schemes to control the use of groundwater and present the modest achievements of other governance approaches aimed at solving existing problems with groundwater. In the same way, we show the current processes of accumulation and dispossession of water that occur as a result of anarchy in water management. To study these processes, a framework of analysis is proposed based on the study of hydrosocial territories, the political economy of groundwater and the control spheres that define access to it. This analysis highlights the challenges presented by devising policies and modes of governance that contribute to the social and environmental sustainability of groundwater.