many poor producers are unable to access government support programmes because they lack the necessary capital to contribute the required investment costs supporting the organisation of irrigation units and increasing investments in these structures would allow members to jointly apply for government resources and facilitate monitoring functions the lerma river with a length of kilometres is originated in mexico s central high plateau at an altitude beyond metres above sea level and ends in lake chapala the largest tropical lake in the country between and the lerma chapala river basin council in its search for a solution to the depletion and contamination of lake chapala entered into a negotiation process to reach a new water allocation agreement