Waru Warn

Waru Warn or Waru Waru is an agricultural technique developed by the Quechuas in South America before the rise of the Inca Empire. It is dated around 300 B.C. [cite web |title=Raised beds and waru waru cultivation |publisher=Organization of American States, Department of Sustainable Development |url=http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/Unit/oea59e/ch27.htm |accessdate=2008-03-06]

The technique has been revived in 1984, in Tiawanaco, Bolivia, and Puno, Peru.

The technique consists in combining raised beds with irrigation channels so as to prevent damage due to soil erosion during floods. The technique ensures both collecting of water (either fluvial water, rainwater or phreatic water) and subsequent drainage. The drainage aspect makes it particularly interesting for areas subject to risks of brutal floods, such as tropical parts of Bolivia and Peru where it emerged.

References