The National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Water Research Commission (WRC) have jointly convened the National Irrigation Development Roundtable under the theme: “Irrigation as Development: Securing Livelihoods, Transforming Lives”.
The roundtable brought together stakeholders and government representatives to discuss irrigation development in the context of South Africa’s uneven rainfall and water scarcity.
“Most cultivated land remains rainfed and vulnerable to climate variability and change, while agriculture accounts for the largest share of national freshwater use. The agriculture sector utilises more than 60% of national freshwater.
“Irrigation development and broader agricultural water management play a critical role in stabilising production and enabling the cultivation of higher-value crops in South Africa, yet the performance and distribution of resources are highly uneven,” the NPC WRC said in a joint statement.
Several speakers addressed the roundtable on issues including framing irrigation as a development issue connected to livelihoods and South Africa’s irrigation potential.
“The programme featured a facilitated stakeholder dialogue that brought together various perspectives from farmers, the agricultural sector, science and innovation, water-related businesses, irrigation communities, and the NPC.
“The objective was to discuss the key constraints impacting irrigation development, identify solutions that are currently effective or have potential, examine the necessary institutional changes, and highlight the actions that should be prioritised in the next 12 to 24 months,” the statement continued.
Discussions were also held on the importance of enhanced coordination among various sectors, and called for a transition from isolated pilot projects to integrated “demonstration initiatives that encompass land and water access, infrastructure, finance, technology, skills development and markets”.
“The roundtable concluded on an optimistic note, highlighting the importance of bridging the gap between research, policy and practice. It emphasised the need to move from planning to implementation, transition from isolated pilot projects to scalable interventions, and shift from merely agreeing on necessary actions to achieving clarity on how those actions should be executed.
“It is hoped that the two research studies that inspired the roundtable will contribute to a roadmap for current and future coordination on water irrigation,” the statement concluded. – SAnews.gov.za
