Lacroix Pascal auteur aut IRD Dehecq A. auteur aut IRD Taipe E. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Intensification of agriculture leads to stress on the environment and subsequently can have strong societal and ecological impacts. In deserts, areas of very high sensitivity to land-use changes, these local-scale impacts are not well documented. On the arid southwestern coast of Peru, several vast irrigation programmes were developed in the 1950s on the flat detritic plateau surrounding narrow valleys to supply new farming areas. We document the long-term effects of irrigation on the erosion of arid deserts in the Vitor and Siguas valleys, south Peru, using 40 yr of satellite data. We demonstrate that irrigation initiated very large slow-moving landslides, affecting one-third of the valleys. Their kinematics present periods of quiescence and short periods of rapid activity, corresponding to landslide destabilization by their headscarp retrogression. This analysis suggests that the landslide motion continues long after their initiation by irrigations. Those landslides affect the fertile valley floors, leading to the destruction of villages and agricultural areas. We conclude that modern intensive farming can strongly impact traditional agriculture in desert areas where water management is particularly critical. specialized PEROU ZONE ARIDE 076 064 126 068 13 1 56-60 + 2 p. 2020 1752-0894 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010077890 10.1038/s41561-019-0500-x 1752-0894 [F B010077890] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010077890 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2020/02/010077890.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2020-03-11 2020-03-11 fdi:010077890 fre