Dutch and Chilean partners join forces for a water-secure food system in the Aconcagua Valley
A piece of fruit on a European supermarket shelf may have travelled thousands of kilometres. But its journey begins with something much more local: healthy soil, biodiversity and, above all, water.
In Chile’s Aconcagua Valley, increasing pressure on water resources is putting that foundation at risk. The consequences are felt not only by farmers and communities in Chile, but throughout international food supply chains. Through the Aconcagua Network, Dutch and Chilean partners are showing how collective action can help build a more water-secure and resilient food system.
Water and food: one interconnected challenge
The Aconcagua Valley is an important agricultural region and a major source of fruit for international markets. Yet declining water availability is putting agricultural production, local livelihoods and ecosystems under pressure.
This makes Aconcagua a clear example of why water security and food security cannot be addressed separately. Sustainable food production depends on how water, soil and biodiversity are managed across an entire landscape. And when production regions face water stress, the effects travel through the supply chain.
The connection with the Netherlands is particularly tangible: around half the Chilean avocados entering Europe pass through the Port of Rotterdam. Water management in a Chilean river basin is therefore directly connected to food supply chains reaching Dutch and European consumers.
Dutch expertise meets Chilean knowledge
The Aconcagua Network brings together local producers, international buyers and public institutions around a shared challenge. It is the first project under the WAVE Partnership and was initiated through the Dutch Government’s Partners for Water programme, building on pioneering work by Nature’s Pride, the Government of the Netherlands, Greenticket and NewForesight. Today, the project involves the Salling Group, Dole Food Company, Westfalia Fruit and the producer-driven Aconcagua Network, and is coordinated by NewForesight.
The collaboration reflects a characteristic strength of the Dutch water sector: looking beyond individual technologies to integrated water management. Dutch expertise combines knowledge of water, agriculture, soil, data and governance, while bringing different stakeholders together to develop solutions that work within local conditions.
In Aconcagua, however, Dutch knowledge is only one part of the equation. Local producers understand the landscape, crops and changing water conditions firsthand. Chilean organisations and authorities bring essential knowledge of the basin and its institutional context. International buyers, meanwhile, have both an interest and a responsibility in making their supply chains more resilient.
It is this combination of Dutch expertise and Chilean knowledge that gives the partnership its strength.
From individual action to collective water stewardship
Water scarcity cannot be solved farm by farm. Water moves through a catchment, connecting upstream and downstream users, agriculture, communities and ecosystems.
The Aconcagua approach thus operates at several levels. At watershed level, producers and buyers collaborate on water stewardship, regenerative agriculture, monitoring and landscape restoration. Across the value chain, partners examine how sourcing and trade affect the landscapes on which they depend. Local and national authorities work on creating the institutional conditions needed for lasting change.
This is collective action in practice: organisations that cannot solve the challenge individually pool their knowledge, influence and resources.
Turning knowledge and data into action
On the ground, the collaboration is being translated into concrete action, including regenerative agricultural practices and improved monitoring of soil, water and biodiversity. These measures are jointly intended to strengthen the climate resilience of farms and the wider landscape.
Data is an essential part of this approach. Understanding changes in water availability, soil conditions and biodiversity helps producers and other partners make better-informed decisions, while also providing evidence on whether the interventions are delivering results.
As Andrés Puebla, Executive Director of the Aconcagua Network, puts it:
“What is not measured cannot be controlled, and what cannot be controlled cannot be managed. That’s why data is so important.”
This combination of practical measures, monitoring and collaboration was reinforced during the WAVE Aconcagua Partnership’s annual visit to the Aconcagua Valley in July 2026. Producers, supply chain partners and public institutions came together to assess progress and agree on shared priorities for the year ahead.
These priorities include accelerating implementation at farm level; strengthening peer-to-peer learning between producers; and, further improving monitoring. The visit underlined an important aspect of the partnership: change is not driven by external expertise alone, but through continuous exchange between Chilean producers and organisations, international supply chain partners and Dutch expertise.
For the Dutch water sector, this approach is familiar. Building resilience is not simply about introducing a technology or improving irrigation efficiency. It requires combining knowledge of water, soil, agriculture and ecosystems with reliable data and effective governance, and, crucially, creating the partnerships needed to turn that knowledge into action.
The full report on the July 2026 annual visit shares further insights on the progress made and the priorities identified by the partnership.
