A closer view of the dunes The Majes-Siguey Irrigation Project is bringing thousands of acres of desert into cultivation. The Majes-Siguey Irrigation Project is a series of irrigation canals that transport water from several of the region's rivers to this hyperarid zone. Although near to the Majes project, the Colca Project farm relies on an aquifer. The Colca Project is part of Grupo Inca, one of Peru's largest vertically and horizontally integrated corporations. One of the subsidiary businesses, La Joya Verde, is seeking to market nopal leaves to hyprarid and desertified countries, particularly for cattle feed, as a method of reclaiming the desert.
Cochineal are insects from which non-carcinogenic red dyes are produced.
Cochineal as a plant parasite. Cochineal from the older plants are harvested by hand using a spoon to scrape the insects off the leaves. Recently harvested cochineal ready to be dried and processed into dye. Anjanette DeCarlo, Hunter MA student, collecting soil samples in a prepared field at the Colca Project, the site of her MA thesis research. The Toro Muerto Petroglyphs lie approximately a 4-hour drive from Arequipa.