Auburn University
IN-2: Innovation 2

Auburn University Engineering Students' Bolivia Irrigation and Water Distribution System Project: A group of nine Auburn University students, a professor and an alumna spent a week in the mountains of Bolivia, developing and implementing irrigation systems to make life better for the residents of Quesimpuco, Bolivia. The remote village lies in a rugged and rocky area and receives very little rain during the South American winter. To help improve crop production, the Auburn team worked with Servants in Faith and Technology (SIFAT) and Centro Nacional de Tecnologia Sustenible (CENATEC) on designs for two projects: a gravity-fed irrigation system and a hydroponics demonstration unit. Both projects aim at managing limited amounts of available water in a way that meets the village water needs. Based on partnerships with the villagers and the NGOs, the students introduced science and technology in a way that fit with local needs and practices. Over multiple visits the villagers and the Auburn students have created a system that will employ a storage tank to collect water from a nearby waterfall. The water will then be distributed to the crops at the appropriate flow rate. Other Auburn team members built a small-scale hydroponics system that recycles water across crop roots growing in gravel beds. The team worked with local high school students and others from the village and showed them another way to water crops and keep them thriving.