ABSTRACT
The Cauca River separates two of the three major ranges of the Andes mountains in Colombia. The river has created a wide, flat valley, which is the site of some of the major agricultural development in South America. The selection of the Colombia study area was influenced by criteria established from experience gained in the Costa Rica portion of the project. The selection of the study area was a process carried out in close collaboration with members of the economic studies and engineering sections of CVC. The factors involved in determing which energy source is more economical in a given situation may be presented based on the experience of farmers in the Cauca Valley. Among farmers surveyed in the Rozo area, opinions varied as to whether electric or diesel motors were a more economical energy source for irrigation purposes. An ice cream processing plant in the area had also been using CVC electricity for some 10 years.
