Community water governance with an ecofeminist approach: A case study in rural territories of Meta, Colombia

Abstract

This paper analyzes experiences of ecofeminist water governance in Mesetas and Vista Hermosa (Meta, Colombia), territories affected by armed violence and currently engaged in socio-environmental reconstruction. Using a qualitative and participatory approach, grounded in Action Research and Grounded Theory, the study applied interviews, focus groups, and social mapping to understand the meanings, practices, and leaderships shaping community water management. Results show that rural women have developed their own forms of governance based on care, spirituality, and reciprocity, integrating technical and ancestral knowledge. These practices, expressed in rural aqueducts, green enterprises, and participatory monitoring, transform water into a common good and subject of care. The emerging category, ecofeminist water governance as a practice of re-existence and environmental peacebuilding, outlines an ethical, political, and affective model that calls for rethinking public water policy from environmental education, gender justice, and territorial sensitivity.