The challenge of integrated water resource management for improved rural livelihoods in the Limpopo Basin: An introduction to WaterNet’s first network research program

In the poverty stricken rural areas of water scarce semi-arid tropics, translating IWRM from concept to action remains largely undone. New policies and structures, developed through water reforms since 1990, do not generally penetrate to the smallholder farmer. Smallholder farmers are generally part of structurally and/or politically marginalised districts, such as distant rural areas (Mocambique), former homelands (South Africa) and communal lands (Zimbabwe), with little voice in natural resource management. Water policy and institutions in the basin are mainly concerned with water for irrigation, cities, mines and industry. However, blue water resources for irrigation are over-committed in the basin, while the bulk of agricultural produce sustaining lives of resource-poor farmers originates from green water flows in rainfed agriculture. Rainfed agriculture is risky, with recurrent droughts and dryspells. However, there is a large untapped yield potential even in the semi-arid rainfed areas. Water productivity, yields and thereby livelihoods can be improved, through integrated soil and water management for dryspell and drought mitigation. The challenge is to facilitate an adaptive process of participatory farm development, supported by institutions and an IWRM framework that incorporates all facets of managing green and blue water resources. WaterNet is leading a transinstitutional transdisciplinary project under the CGIAR Challenge Program, taking on the challenge of developing a framework for a new IWRM based water governance from village to basin scale in the Limpopo Basin, which integrates green and blue water management for improved rural livelihoods. Participatory on-farm research will focus on productive use of alluvial aquifers, shallow water tables, and surface runoff, using water harvesting systems. The focus is on adaptive management for risk reduction, water productivity and yield improvements. Trade-offs between upstream-downstream water uses and options for improved irrigation efficiencies downstream will be studied. The project will focus in pilot catchments in Zimbabwe (Mzingwane), Moςambique (Chokwe) and South Africa (Olifants). The project will generate a new knowledge base on appropriate agricultural water management, and catchment management to support this. Guidelines for catchment management will be developed and upscaled to a needs-based IWRM framework for sustainable water for food development at basin scale. Results shall be presented at WaterNet-WARFSA symposia over the next four years.