Options for improving agricultural water productivity under increasing water scarcity in South Africa

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cg.contributor.crpWater, Land and Ecosystemsen_US
cg.creator.identifierLuxon Nhamo: 0000-0003-2944-1769en_US
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen_US
dc.contributor.authorMabhaudhi, Tafadzwanasheen_US
dc.contributor.authorMpandeli, S.en_US
dc.contributor.authorNhamo, Luxonen_US
dc.contributor.authorSenzanje, Aidanen_US
dc.contributor.authorChimonyo, Vimbayi Grace Petrovaen_US
dc.contributor.authorModi, Albert Thembinkosien_US
dc.date.accessioned2020-01-27T09:34:17Zen_US
dc.date.available2020-01-27T09:34:17Zen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/106719en_US
dc.titleOptions for improving agricultural water productivity under increasing water scarcity in South Africaen_US
dcterms.abstractSouth Africa is ranked among the thirty driest countries in the world, a challenge that is negatively affecting agricultural production. Other challenges such as population growth, rural-urban migration, changing food preferences and drought exacerbate pressure on agricultural water productivity. The review critically assessed the different considerations for increasing agricultural water productivity under water scarce conditions in South Africa. While under these conditions, irrigation may seem an obvious solution to increasing agricultural water productivity as a response to frequent droughts and mid-season dry spells. However, considerations on the availability of water and energy for irrigation expansion and the accessibility of irrigation services to different farming groups in the country. It is generally argued that irrigation is an expensive option and not necessarily readily accessible to most farmers. There are prospects for tapping into South Africa’s groundwater resources but the extent to which they can contribute to expanding area under irrigation is contested given the challenges of quantifying and pumping the water. Most smallholder farmers currently lack access to water, energy, infrastructure and technical skills to irrigate thus making irrigation a challenging option in this sector. An alternative would be to explore rainwater harvesting and soil water conservation technologies, which involve inducing, collecting, storing and conserving runoff water for agriculture. The drawbacks to this are that, apart from scale issues, rainfall is becoming more erratic and droughts more frequent and hence the feasibility of this approach under frequent drought could be challenged.en_US
dcterms.accessRightsLimited Accessen_US
dcterms.bibliographicCitationMabhaudhi, T.; Mpandeli, S.; Nhamo, Luxon; Senzanje, A.; Chimonyo, V. G. P.; Modi, A.T. 2019. Options for improving agricultural water productivity under increasing water scarcity in South Africa. Paper presented at the 3rd World Irrigation Forum (WIF3) on Development for Water, Food and Nutrition Security in a Competitive Environment, Bali, Indonesia, 1-7 September 2019. 14p.en_US
dcterms.extent14p.en_US
dcterms.issued2019-09-01en_US
dcterms.languageenen_US
dcterms.licenseCopyrighted; all rights reserveden_US
dcterms.subjectagricultural productionen_US
dcterms.subjectwater productivityen_US
dcterms.subjectwater scarcityen_US
dcterms.subjectclimate changeen_US
dcterms.subjectrisksen_US
dcterms.subjectdroughten_US
dcterms.subjectrainwater harvestingen_US
dcterms.subjectsmallholdersen_US
dcterms.subjectfarmersen_US
dcterms.subjectwater managementen_US
dcterms.subjectstrategiesen_US
dcterms.subjectirrigation methodsen_US
dcterms.subjectwater useen_US
dcterms.typeConference Paperen_US

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