Andes Basin Focal Project

The CPWF Basin Focal Project for the Andes system of basins worked with a range of local

stakeholders to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms for improving the

productivity of water in the Andes. We considered productivity in broad terms as the

productivity of energy (HEP), food and fiber (agriculture) and livelihoods (industry, transport

and benefit sharing such as Payments for Environmental Services schemes (PES)).

In addition to the compiled data bases and analyses on poverty and institutions, one of the

key deliverables of the project was the development and deployment of the AguAAndes

policy support system (PSS). This integrates analyses of water availability and productivity

within the local environmental and policy context. It is a web-based policy support system

combining an extensive spatial database with process-based models for hydrology, crop

production and socio-economic processes. It is intended to allow analysts and decision

makers to test the potential onsite and offsite impacts of land and water management

decisions in terms of their ability to sustain environmental services and human wellbeing.

Interventions and recommendations for future actions on water and food in the region are

presented.