Farmers in the Mexicali Valley ended their weeklong occupation of federal government offices on June 29 after reaching an agreement with Mexico’s National Water Commission (CONAGUA) over roughly 90 million pesos (about $4.5 million USD) in unpaid land-rest program funds.
The protest began on June 22, when members of the ADURC water rights group seized offices belonging to CONAGUA, the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), and the Procuraduría Agraria in Mexicali. Around 50 protesters maintained control of the facilities for a full week, blocking access to federal personnel.
What Sparked the Occupation
At the center of the dispute: 630 agricultural users across 5,680 hectares who say they have not been fully compensated for leaving their land fallow under a water conservation program tied to the Colorado River. The program pays farmers to temporarily halt crop production to save water in the critically strained Colorado River basin, which supplies the Mexicali Valley’s irrigation system.
Ana Quirino, a spokesperson for the protesting farmers, told reporters during the occupation that farmers had received only partial payments. “We’ve been fighting against secrecy,” Quirino said, accusing CONAGUA of failing to provide transparency on how program funds were being distributed.
Terms of the Agreement
Under the deal that ended the occupation, CONAGUA agreed to several concessions. The agency will jointly review the 2026 beneficiary list with ADURC, prioritizing farmers who have not yet received any payments. CONAGUA will also share project documents covering 16,046 hectares currently under review by the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC).
ADURC secured a non-voting observer seat on the Hydraulic Committee for decisions related to land-rest matters. Because no disbursement date has been set, both sides agreed to daily communication updates. The actual payout timeline depends on IBWC approval of related cross-border water conservation agreements.
A Recurring Problem
This is not the first time Mexicali Valley farmers have occupied federal offices over the same issue. In February 2026, farmers staged a similar days-long sit-in at CONAGUA’s Mexicali offices, arguing they had only been paid for half the land they had taken out of production. That earlier protest ended when CONAGUA officials promised to report back on spending and to ask the United States for additional funding.
The fallow-land program is part of broader international efforts to manage water in the Colorado River system, which serves both the United States and Mexico. Delayed payments leave farming families in the Mexicali Valley facing serious financial strain during growing seasons when their fields sit idle.
Quirino warned during the latest occupation that farmers would return to blockade federal offices if the government did not follow through on its commitments. The story was first reported by Punto Norte.