Governance and institutional arrangements for accelerating equity in the water-land-agricultural nexus: A case study of resource-poor farmers in smallholder irrigation schemes in the Lower Sundays River and Great Fish River catchments.

O.N. Odume, F. Materechera-Mitochi, S. Ngilana

Sponsor: Water Research Commission

April 2023–November 2025

Background:

The contribution of resource-poor farmers to the South African agricultural economy is continually adversely impacted by a host of factors that limit their potential to participate positively in agricultural development. There have been numerous government policies and interventions targeted at supporting emerging farmers in order to increase their capacity to contribute positively to the agricultural economy against the backdrop of historical inequities created by the apartheid system. The issue of water allocation reform (WAR) in irrigation schemes as implemented by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is an example of an attempt to effect change in the way in which water for productive purposes is distributed among South African farmers. One other governance arrangement and support measure attempted by the South African government is that of joint ventures (JVs), defined as a strategic partnership in which the government facilitates the pairing of an emerging farmer with an established commercial farmer for capital and economic purposes, achieved through the medium of WAR.

Within the context of JVs at farm scale, WARs have been viewed as tools to effectively achieve the equity imperative contained within the National Water Act (NWA) No. 36 of 1998. Empirical evidence, however, reveals that most of the irrigation schemes currently documented in the country are dysfunctional and the joint venture partnerships have not yielded the desired outcomes, so impeding the potential of emerging farmers to contribute to the agricultural economy of South Africa. Research also reveals that WAR and policy have not brought about the expected or intended socio-economic and livelihood benefits to resource-poor/emerging farmers.

It is within this context that the proposed research is positioned. The research aims to investigate governance and institutional measures necessary to support emerging/resource-poor farmers at the farm scale, drawing on best international practices. It is argued that in order to achieve success, an exploration is necessary of the governance and institutional measures attuned to local realities and farmers'  perceptions and of the power dynamics at the farm scale with political influence, polity and policy agendas across scales of government within the water-land-agriculture nexus. The study uses the Lower Sundays River and Great Fish River catchments as case studies to co-explore social, institutional and governance innovations to accelerate equity goals at the farm scale alongside farmers’ perceptions of WAR and JVs and the institutional and governance challenges that may impede success.

There is a disjuncture between the expectations placed on emerging farmers to put allocated water to productive use for farming enterprise and the lack of institutional arrangements, mandate and governance processes to provide them with the resources needed to meet these expectations. This project aims to contribute to the knowledge gap regarding the misalignment between governance and institutional arrangements on the one hand, and equity imperatives on the other.

Project aims:

The project is informed by the following specific aims:

1. To examine the disparity between relevant policy intents and implementation of equity goals via joint ventures within the context of WAR in the Lower Sundays River and Great Fish River Catchments.
2. To analyse the enablers and/or barriers to the benefits intended for emerging farmers via joint ventures. Such benefits may include social, economic, livelihood and technical know-how benefits.
3. To analyse the governance dimensions, and the suitability of joint ventures for realising equity, efficiency, and sustainability imperatives in the context of water allocation reforms within the Lower Sundays River and Great Fish River Catchments.
4. To explore governance and institutional measures/arrangements/systems, including polycentricity, necessary to support emerging/resource-poor farmers at the farm scale to achieve the imperative of equity.

Project approach and methodology:

The study employs a mixed methods approach and combines several data collection techniques to gain insights and synthesise knowledge in order to achieve its objectives. Primary and secondary data will be collected through document analysis/desktop study, workshops, in-depth interviews, and questionnaire development. 

Project progress to date:

The project, which officially started in April 2023, is ongoing. The initial stages of the project established relationships with the relevant actors in order to facilitate the co-creation of knowledge as envisioned by the project aim. The project research team undertook a series of initial site visits and workshops to introduce the project, familiarise themselves with the different actors and to obtain the necessary gatekeeper permissions to proceed with project activities.

The first site visit to the Lower Sundays River Catchment took place on 11 April 2023. Prof. Nelson Odume, Dr Fenji Materechera-Mitochi and Mr Simphiwe Ngilana travelled to the offices of the Lower Sundays River Water User Association (LSRWUA) in Kirkwood to attend a sitting of the Catchment Management Forum (CMF). The project team was invited to make a presentation as part of the programme of the CMF to introduce the project to stakeholders with interests in water use within the catchment. Stakeholders included representatives from the DWS, Local Farmers’ Associations, the Water User Association and community interest groups such as the Sundays River Valley Collaborative (SRVC). Dr Materechera-Mitochi presented the project after which Prof. Odume facilitated a discussion addressing questions, concerns and points of clarification raised by the audience. The project was warmly welcomed and the post-presentation discussion raised issues of concern that the project team ought to take into consideration. To date the project team has attended all other scheduled CMF meetings as a recognised stakeholder (25 May 2023, 28 June 2023). Before the adjournment of the CMF, the project team embarked on a guided tour of the study area accompanied by CMF members. The tour included a stop at the Sundays River Canal which is supplied by the Gariep Dam and is an example of a JV in the Sundays River Valley, namely the farmland area designated for the Ikamva Lethu – Xhosa for Our Future project.

The first site visit to the Great Fish River (Tyhefu) Catchment took place on 12 April 2023 at the office of the Ndlambe tribal authority where Chief Makinana resides. A meeting was held between the chief, tribal council members, the project team (Prof. Odume, Dr Materechera-Mitochi and Mr Ngilana), stakeholders from the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Land Reform (DRDLR), extension workers, and representatives from the National Development Agency. All members at the meeting had varied interests in water-related issues within the catchment area. A presentation of the current project by the project team was included in the meeting agenda. Dr Materechera-Mitochi delivered the presentation with the aid of Mr Ngilana who interpreted into the local Xhosa language. The presentation was followed by a facilitated discussion in which members of the meeting were given the opportunity to give their feedback on the presentation and express their opinions. Chief Makinana welcomed the project team and provided his verbal authorisation for the study to be conducted in the area. All necessary gatekeeper permissions were obtained from the relevant authorities in both catchments. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 Human Research Ethics Committee (RU-HREC) on 22 August 2023 (Ethics approval number: 2023-7264-7948).

Data collection commenced on 9 October 2023 in the Sundays River Valley with in-depth interviews with farmers in JVs and key informant interviews with relevant actors in the citrus production value chain in the area.

Last Modified: Tue, 06 Aug 2024 14:57:27 SAST