President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo presented the Mexico Modernizes program, considered unique in the world, aimed at redirecting efficient water use in agriculture toward human consumption. With a historic investment of more than 60 billion pesos, the plan includes the modernization of irrigation districts in 11 states and the Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico, allowing the recovery of around 2.8 billion cubic meters of water.
During her message at the “People’s Morning Conference,” Sheinbaum emphasized that the program is the result of an agreement with farmers and will recover three times the water consumed annually by Mexico City, redistributing it in urban areas to guarantee the human right to water. “This is a historic program carried out in collaboration with irrigation districts; more than 60 billion pesos so that all Mexicans can have access to water,” she underlined.
National Water Commission (Conagua) Director General Efraín Morales López explained that the goal is to modernize more than 200,000 hectares to produce more food with less water and redirect the recovered resource to human consumption. He noted that six irrigation districts have already begun operations in Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Guanajuato, and Aguascalientes, while another 10 are under bidding in states such as Sonora, Coahuila, Durango, Michoacán, Chihuahua, Morelos, and the Valley of Mexico.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director General of Hydraulic Infrastructure, Aarón Mastache Mondragón, reported that the program is based on two components: major infrastructure through the modernization of canals and distribution systems, projected to recover up to 40 percent of the water; and parcel-level modernization, which includes land leveling, installation of pipelines, and pressurized irrigation systems, recovering up to an additional 55 percent.
The Government of Mexico clarified that, in addition to modernization efforts, the Hydro-Agricultural Infrastructure Support Program has already allocated 1.659 billion pesos to strengthen other irrigation districts. With these actions, Mexico Modernizes positions itself as a strategic project that combines agricultural efficiency, sustainability, and social justice to guarantee water for millions of people.
