Local adaptation strategy to climate change for equitable water access in Chilean rural zones

In this article we analyze the vulnerability of rural populations without water rights in Chile and how they will be affected by a generalized reduction in precipitations due to climate change. Although there are many management instruments developed over the last decades, the characteristics of the Chilean Water Code, the official management instrument, have impeded its adequate administration in order to maintain its quality and availability to all the population. As a result, future subsistence agriculture production will be more uncertain, having a direct impact on the wellbeing of rural families. We propose that the best short-term and medium-term option is local environmental governance in order not to increase the risks of rural populations under the analyzed context.