1. Groundwater Rights in Mexican Agriculture: Spatial Distribution and Demographic Determinants
Paper by: C. A. Scott, S. Dall’erba and R. D. Caravantes The Professional Geographer, 62(1): 1-15
Presented by: Julia Meyer
Majors: Geography and Peace, War & Defense
Geography 370
March 1, 2010

2. Problem: The semi-arid and arid region of northern Mexico has a limited availability of water. This region have very concentrated economic development and a high population that is increasingly using groundwater reservoirs
Hypothesis: Groundwater and surface water usage will be concentrated in different regions of Mexico due to hydrological process and irrigation practices

3. Use data from Registro Publico de Derechos de Agua (REPTA) on volume and number of water rights titles by category that also indicate the source as either ground or surface water
Then analyze the distribution of agricultural groundwater and surface water access between municipalities in Mexico by performing and exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) using Spatial Weight Matrix, Moran’s I and a local indicator of spatial association (LISA)
Use GeoData Analysis software for ESDA study to locate potential patterns, specifically the relationship between groundwater levels, surface water levels and the population employed in agriculture

4. Agricultural surface water (volume per municipality per year)
Agricultural groundwater (volume per municipality per year).

5. Results
Agricultural groundwater usage is mostly in the northwest and northern areas of Mexico
High agricultural groundwater usage significantly increases aquifer depletion, so no southern state has a depleted aquifer
Agricultural groundwater is independent of the levels of surface water

6. Conclusions
Similar production structures in agriculture and similar climates create clear patterns of water availability and usage
Mexico’s north and northwestern regions face the greatest challenges in slowing aquifer depletion
Undermined importance of northern municipalities vicinity to the United States