Lots of the fresh produce found on our supermarket shelves comes from the Ica Valley in Peru - where communities go without safe, clean water. This is not a story of natural scarcity. It is a crisis of governance, inequality and water justice.

This paper is not original Water Witness research. It summarises findings and recommendations from a household water security assessment led and authored by CODEHICA, the Ica Human Rights Commission. CODEHICA carried out fieldwork between July and August 2025 across four study areas, including surveys of 190 households and 36 smallholder farmers, 44 interviews and four community focus groups. The research, conclusions and recommendations belong to CODEHICA. Water Witness supported CODEHICA with funding and technical support through the Fair Water Action Fund and is helping bring its evidence to a wider audience.