Abstract

RUF, Thierry. The struggle over water in high mountain communities in the Andes (Ecuador), the Pyrenees (France) and the High Atlas (Morocco). agric. soc. desarro [online]. 2010, vol.7, n.1, pp.57-69. ISSN 1870-5472.

Allan (2000) has presented a general theory on the increase in water use over the past two centuries, with five historical phases: pre-modern, industrial modern, ecological, economic and political-institutional, with differences between the North (a mixture of the last three phases) and the South (which remains in the phase of industrial hydraulic mission). When comparing unique histories from Urcuquí, in the northern Ecuador Andes, Prades in the western Pyrenees in France, and the valley of Ait Bougmez in the Moroccan High Atlas, we perceive that organization is a discontinuous and evolutionary process, giving place to multiple conflicts regarding spaces at varied scales. To overcome them, the local communities established institutions for resource distribution and regulation of water rights, whose persistence varies depending on the location and the historical periods. We can see how historical development is not linear nor simple, but rather it depends on moments when social commitments are made regarding the management of common resources.

Keywords : History; institution; irrigation; conflict resolution; territory.

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