Gobernanza del agua y participación comunitaria en la gestión del recurso hídrico: un estudio desde la investigación-acción en las quebradas la Jucua y Yeguas en Pachavita-Boyacá (2023-2025)

Abstract

This research analyses the mechanisms of community participation in the conservation, monitoring, and sustainable management of water resources in the village of El Guacal, Pachavita (Boyacá), during the period 2023–2025, based on the question of the extent to which participation influences the maintenance of patrols, the restoration of the La Jucua and Yeguas streams, and basic water quality monitoring, in coordination with the POMCA and the PORH. Using Participatory Action Research (PAR) and the Governance Analytical Framework (MAG), and employing a mixed-methods approach with phases of diagnosis, co-design, implementation, and feedback, the study aims to assess the level of participation by local stakeholders, co-construct a community operational plan, and evaluate its impact on water management. The study begins with the recognition that initiatives promoted by CORPOCHIVOR and municipal bodies have faced limitations in terms of effectiveness and follow-up, and draws on the consensus in national and Latin American literature regarding water governance, which calls for the integration of local knowledge and institutional policies (Hufty, 2009), viewing communities, following Fals Borda et al. (1991), as active agents in the production of knowledge and the transformation of their contexts. As a result, the project aims to produce a community action plan for the conservation of the streams and a stakeholder matrix that highlights local responsibilities and capacities, with a view to strengthening a more inclusive, participatory, and locally rooted water governance in Pachavita.