Household‐level perceptions of governance in smallholder irrigation schemes in KwaZulu‐Natal Province 1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lerato Phali ◽  
Maxwell Mudhara ◽  
Stuart Ferrer ◽  
Godswill Makombe
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Sarahi Moralles ◽  
Abdukladir Egal ◽  
Wilna Oldewage-Theron

South Africa (SA) is considered as the second largest economies in Africa with well-developed agricultural food production system. But food security is still a challenge at household level. Currently, in Africa, smallholder agriculture is recognized to contribute food security at household level. This study investigates the prevalence of food insecurity and nutritional knowledge of 78 local smallholder farmers in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) province of South Africa. The results from this study indicated that nutrition knowledge was poor and food insecurity was prevalent at >40% at the household level. It is therefore recommended that future agricultural training should include nutrition education based on FBDG (Food Based Dietary Guidelines) in their respective programs so as to attain a balanced diet for healthy and productive smallholder farmer communities


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6(J)) ◽  
pp. 21-32
Author(s):  
Lerato Phali ◽  
Maxwell Mudhara ◽  
Stuart Ferrer ◽  
Godswill Makombe

Participatory Irrigation Management is an important concept in the management of water resources. It fosters collective responsibility and rule compliance, the lack of which creates a weak environment for sustainable water use. This study adopted Principal Components Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling to evaluate the determinants of farmer’s participation in the management of four smallholder irrigations schemes in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The selected schemes, Ndumo, Makhathini Flats, Mooi River and Tugela Ferry, are representative of the general management and farmer activities in smallholder irrigation schemes in the country. The study considered household data from 341 irrigators and found that those who participated in regulation and control management activities of SIS also participate in information sharing activities. The results show that agricultural training, land tenure security, credit access and co-operative membership positively influence farmers’ participation in decision making. Additionally, irrigation water adequacy positively influences farmer’s participation in making financial contributions in the schemes. The study recommends that better land agreements that, would improve the security of tenure should be put in place to foster farmer participation. Farmers should receive agricultural and irrigation training to increase the likelihood of participating in the management of irrigation schemes.


Water Policy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Dirwai ◽  
A. Senzanje ◽  
M. Mudhara

AbstractWater 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.


Author(s):  
Qinisani Qwabe ◽  
Elliot Zwane ◽  
Jan Swanepoel

South Africa is a food sufficient country. Native South Africans, however, continue to suffer from food insecurity at a household level, even under contemporary democratic leadership. Influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the study was conducted to determine the role of indigenous vegetables in rural livelihoods in the two selected district municipalities of northern KwaZulu-Natal, namely iLembe District Municipality (IDM) and the King Cetshwayo District Municipality (KCDM). A purposive sample which consisted of 130 participants (n=130) was drawn, and data were analysed descriptively using Microsoft Excel Software. Our findings point in the direction that indigenous vegetables have the potential to contribute to livelihoods development. It was also found that these vegetables can thrive under diverse climatic conditions, including both irrigated and rainfed areas. This is especially important in a country like South Africa which faces major challenges of water scarcity and household food insecurity. Most household heads in the study were unemployed and relied on government monetary incentives for survival. It is concluded that there is a need to include these indigenous crops as part of the main discussions in the food discourse and to recognise them as a tool to enhance livelihood development.


2020 ◽  
pp. 140-148
Author(s):  
Md. Kumail Naqvi ◽  
Mrinal Anthwal ◽  
Ravindra Kumar

Biogas is the product of anaerobic vitiation of biodegradable matter. This paper focuses on the need of alternative and green sources of energy at a household level and how biogas produced from the everyday organic waste has the potential and possibility to replace LPG cylinders at houses, shops etc. and empower us to step towards an eco-friendly future. The purpose this small-scale experiment has been to find the perfect input matter that is easy to acquire and which produces the maximum amount of gas from minimum input and within small period of waste retention. Four different types of input waste material containing different quantities of cow dung and kitchen food waste were studied through individual experimental setups. Waste was mixed and kept at room temperature and the pH and total solid concentration of the samples were recorded on regular intervals. From the experiment it was found that the optimum yield of biogas at a small scale, based on the parameters such as retention period, pH and total solid con-centration can be obtained by the use of food waste form households and kitchens. The exact composition has been discussed in this paper. The energy generated by the small-scale generator has also been compared to that of an LPG cylinder and an LPG replacement model has also been presented.


Waterlines ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-13
Author(s):  
Edward Breslin ◽  
Carlos Madrid ◽  
Anderson Mkhize
Keyword(s):  

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joey Krishnan ◽  
Roshinee Naidoo ◽  
Greg Cowden

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