Water efficiency in action: results from Eficagua’s pilot in Chihuahua

Drought is one of the most urgent challenges facing Chihuahua. But beyond diagnosis, the real challenge lies in turning urgency into implementation: testing solutions, measuring results, and building evidence that allows what works to scale. With this objective, Eficagua—a startup specialized in water efficiency—presented the results of a pilot carried out in the state, focused on agriculture and smart water use. From a critical need to a real field pilot The connection between Eficagua and Chihuahua emerged from a clear need: to reduce water consumption in a context of sustained drought, without compromising productivity. Because of its specific focus on water efficiency, Eficagua became a natural partner to test a data-driven model. The goal was not just to install technology, but to understand real water consumption, detect excesses, and make decisions based on evidence. Implementation also reveals what is not immediately visible During the implementation, Cristian—founder of Eficagua—shared learnings from fieldwork, ranging from operational to human aspects. One anecdote captured this well: “I expected to arrive in Chihuahua still facing drought, and the day I went to install the sensors, it rained… that delayed the installation from one day to a full week.” More than a coincidence, it served as a reminder that there are dynamics and variables that often go unnoticed until they are measured continuously. As part of the pilot, and in collaboration with Riego 360, a visit was carried out at Plan de Álamos during the pecan harvest, with the objective of measuring harvest results and validating whether the implemented changes generated measurable differences. Results: less water, greater clarity The findings were significant. The pilot made it possible to: Reduce water consumption by 50% in some irrigation events, by more accurately distinguishing how much irrigation was sufficient versus how much represented excess. Measure the blue water footprint of pecan production in Chihuahua: currently, 8,686 liters of irrigated water are required per kilogram of pecans. To put this into perspective: Global average: 9,280 liters irrigated per kg of in-shell pecans Ideal efficiency benchmark: 2,000 liters irrigated per kg of in-shell pecans This means that Chihuahua is already below the global average, but it also confirms that a significant gap remains to reach the optimal level, which has been documented in Coahuila. In addition, the analysis identified 14 actionable improvement areas, including soil improvement, orchard management, and operational practices that can further increase water efficiency. The value proposition: building reference to enable better decisions Eficagua is building something that goes beyond this single case: a replicable example and a reference database designed to help answer a key question for the agricultural sector: How much water does each crop really need? With this tool (Reggante), producers can compare their consumption, identify excesses, and detect opportunities for savings based on data—enabling better decision-making each season. Next steps: scaling and consolidating presence in Chihuahua The challenge for this year is to expand implementation and strengthen documentation: Reach 40 installed stations. Begin case support and documentation in March, to build comparable evidence and shared learnings. Based on these results, move forward with the opening of Eficagua’s first branch in Chihuahua. This pilot delivers a clear message: when local collaboration is combined with applied technology, it becomes possible to move from talking about sustainability to demonstrating it through measurable results.