President Laura Chinchilla recently gave her signature of approval to a project that will expand the reach and coverage of the Southern Crop Irrigation Canal in the province of Guanacaste. The expansion will add 33.4 kilometers to the canal for a total coverage of 35,000 hectares of farmland. This is certainly good news for farmers in the driest region of Costa Rica, where climate change is reducing rainfall levels and causing major water shortages.

As reported by online news daily CRHoy.com, the Mayor of Canas stated that the expansion is urgent. Diminishing rain is deeply affecting farming operations in the canton, which in turn is resulting in steep unemployment and lower quality of life. Along with President Chinchilla, Minister of Agriculture Gloria Abraham explained that expanding the Southern Crop Irrigation Canal will help farmers in Guanacaste to stay competitive and employed.

The project will cost $13.82 million, which will be financed by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Spanish initials: BCIE) as a loan. The firms in charge of this project will be Coriem from Costa Rica as well as Copisa and CPI from Spain.

At the signing event, President Chinchilla saw an opportunity to take a jab at her numerous detractors. She stated that her administration has done plenty of good for Guanacaste and that she is sure that legislators or outsiders will question her approval of this project, particularly due to the sizable loan issued by the BCIE.

The Southern Crop Irrigation Canal currently waters crops only in the Canas canton. Once the project is completed, the canal will measure almost 42 kilometers and will snake beyond Canas to reach Abangares and Lajas. This expansion is part of a greater plan that promotes the efficient management of riparian resources for the purpose of ameliorating water shortages and drought conditions in Guanacaste.