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1 Dirwai, T. L.; Senzanje, A.; Mudhara, M. 2019. Water governance impacts on water adequacy in smallholder irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Water Policy, 21(1):127-146. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2018.149]
Water governance ; Irrigation schemes ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Irrigation management ; Water management ; Water user associations ; Regression analysis ; Models / South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal / Mooi-River Irrigation Scheme / Tugela Ferry Irrigation Scheme
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049137)
(0.65 MB)
Water adequacy is central to maximised agricultural production in irrigation schemes. Smallholder Irrigation Schemes (SISs) are designed to distribute water efficiently, adequately and equitably. Water governance, defined as the institutions, processes, procedures, rules and regulations involved in water management, plays an important role in water allocation and subsequently water adequacy. The intersectoral institutions involved in water governance in SISs, i.e., government, Water User Associations (WUAs), Irrigation Management Committees (IMCs) and traditional authorities, interact to formulate and design policies for running SISs. However, multilevel interaction amongst the active stakeholders at multiple levels shapes policy and underlies SIS performance. This research aimed to investigate the impacts water governance had on adequacy of water in irrigation schemes and was premised on the hypothesis that governance had no effect on water adequacy. Water adequacy describes water supply relative to demand. Adequacy indicates whether the water delivery system supplies the required amount to a section in the irrigation scheme over a period of time (daily, monthly or seasonally). Two irrigation schemes, the Mooi-River Irrigation Scheme (MRIS) and Tugela Ferry Irrigation Scheme (TFIS) were used as case studies. A descriptive analysis showed that 86% of the farmers in the TFIS had adequate water, whereas 24% had water adequacy in the MRIS. A Binary Logit model was employed to investigate the factors that influence water adequacy among irrigators. The regression model identified eight statistically significant factors that influenced water adequacy: the irrigation scheme, location of plot within the scheme, training in water management, training in irrigation, SIS irrigators’ knowledge about the government’s aims, availability of water licences, payment of water fees and satisfaction with the irrigation schedule. The study concluded that governance factors had influence on water adequacy in the selected SISs. The implication is that stakeholders should make irrigators aware of government Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) policy and strategies. The study recommends that the SISs introduce rules, procedures and protocols to support irrigators to enhance scheme governance and lead to the realisation of government policies.
2 Dlangalala, S. F.; Mudhara, M. 2020. Determinants of farmer awareness of water governance across gender dimensions in smallholder irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Water SA, 46(2):234-241. [doi: https://doi.org/10.17159/wsa/2020.v46.i2.8238]
Water governance ; Farmers participation ; Awareness ; Smallholders ; Irrigation schemes ; Water management ; Gender ; Water institutions ; Water user associations ; Decision making ; Stakeholders ; Policies ; Households ; Socioeconomic environment / South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal / Mooi River Irrigation Scheme / Tugela Ferry Irrigation Scheme / Ndumo Irrigation Scheme
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049791)
(0.23 MB) (236 KB)
Water is a vital resource for irrigated agricultural production. Its availability and accessibility are critical for alleviating poverty and achieving food security in rural households. However, smallholder irrigated agriculture in South Africa faces limited water supply emanating from scheme governance problems, with weak institutional arrangements that fail to equitably and effectively govern water resources. South African water policy has been transforming over the years. However, statutory laws remain unknown in smallholder irrigation schemes. This study sought to assess farmer awareness of water governance and identify the determinants of farmer awareness of water governance dimensions across gender dimensions in Mooi River, Tugela Ferry, and Ndumo irrigation schemes. The study employed principal component analysis to generate water governance indices, that is, formal institutions, the existence and effectiveness of scheme constitutions, scheme committees and enforcement of informal rules in the scheme. The ordinary least square regression technique was then used to identify factors determining farmer awareness of formal and informal water institutions in the three irrigation schemes. The findings suggest that formal water institutions are unknown and factors such as household characteristics, scheme location, stakeholder participation and involvement in scheme decision-making processes significantly influence awareness of governance. Therefore, there is a need to raise farmer awareness of formal water institutions and to strengthen the informal institutions which are functional, recognised and in line with irrigation management transfer.
3 Phakathi, S.; Sinyolo, S.; Marire, J.; Fraser, G. 2021. Farmer-led institutional innovations in managing smallholder irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces, South Africa. Agricultural Water Management, 248:106780. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106780]
Farmer managed irrigation systems ; Institutions ; Innovation ; Irrigation schemes ; Smallholders ; Decision making ; Women ; Participatory management ; Irrigation water ; Water resources / South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal / Eastern Cape / Tugela Ferry Irrigation Scheme / Mooi River Irrigation Scheme / Qamata Irrigation Scheme / Zanyokwe Irrigation Scheme
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050226)
(0.50 MB)
Farmer-led institutional innovations have been touted as the key to improving the management of water resources in irrigation schemes. However, little is known about them in South Africa. This study documents institutional innovations by 28 farmer groups located on four irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces, South Africa. Induced institutional innovation theory, Ostrom’s eight design principles, and thematic analysis of interview transcripts were used to analyse the data. The study results show that 21 groups engaged in institutional innovations, indicating high levels of farmer-led innovative activity among these irrigators. Examples of innovations include, among others, the introduction of a secret voting system to improve participation of marginalised people in decision-making processes, designing daily rotation rosters to reduce conflicts, as well as using an attendance register for participation in group activities, and rewarding members according to their participation levels. The majority of these innovations were designed to improve the graduated sanction mechanism (22.2%), enhancing the penalty system for non-compliance; improving collective action arrangements (27.8%); monitoring attendance of group meetings (18.5%); democratising decision making; and ensuring equitable water distribution. These innovations focused mainly on addressing challenges, rather than exploiting opportunities, and were mostly incremental (94%), involving an adjustment or reinterpretation of rules and regulations. Radical institutional innovations constituted only 6%. The innovative groups were smaller in size and experienced less conflict than the non-innovative groups. Both groups had low levels of education and were mostly dominated by female farmers. The study recommends that the government should build on the agency of the irrigators to improve the effectiveness and legitimacy of institutional arrangements in irrigation schemes. The study’s findings suggest that small groups should be actively promoted, while tailored training should be offered based on the groups’ specific needs, to improve institutional innovations in the smallholder irrigation sector in South Africa.
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