July 2022
WWF: Water stewardship in the upper uThukela: Smallholder CRA and water
provision
1 May 2022-5 March 2024
OBJECTIVES
•250 farmers from 5-8 villages improve
CA (20ha’s)
•VWB for reduced runoff and reduced
consumption measured for 8-12
participants
•Spring protection, w reticulation to
header tanks and taps for 20hhs in at
least 1 village, involvement of
stakeholders
OUTCOMES
•Measurement of VWB and livestock
integration practices
•Improved crop diversity, yields,
marketing for 3 local value chains
(maize + ?+ ?) for improved income
•Improved livestock management:
fodder production and
supplementation (25), and rangeland
man practices
•Improved access to H2O for
consumption and farming –
communityowned
•Improved governance and
stewardship through multistakeholder
engagement with CRA learning groups
Projectdescription
R1 285 000:
CA inputs ~R125 000/yr;
Spring protection: R218 000 +eng
R96 000
-Run-off averages across all CA trial plots almost 50%
lower than runoff in the control plots (CA control
maize-mono cropped)
-Between 2%-5% of total rainfall is saved through
reducedrunoffintheCAtrialplots
Right and
far right:
Installation
of run-off
pans in
control and
CA trial
plots,
respectively.
Right: Signs of run-
off in a CA control M
plot in Bergville
rainfall(mm)
runoff CA plot (L)
runoff control plot (L)
Bergville
(6 participants, 4villages)
Sum
1277
76
,7
146
,1
%
rainfall conversion (2021)
6%
11
%
%
rainfall conversion (2022)
5%
7%
%
rainfall conversion (average)
4%
7%
69 Litre /m2 now in the
soil. That is
694 000 L/ha per year,
more water in the soil and
availabletocrops
Measurements
Runoff – Pans in CA experimental and control plots in cropping fields
•WaterproductivityforCAmaizegrownasanintercropwith
beans or cowpeas is higher than single cropped CA maize
and
•WaterproductivityforCAplotsissignificantlyhigherthan
conventionally tilled plots.
•Despite annual differences in water productivity, these
trends remained the same across two seasons for all three
areas within KZN. WP for grain in the M+CP intercropped
plots is the highest for both seasons
•The close spacing used in the CA trial plots provides extra
WP benefits when compared to the ‘normal’ spacing used in
these villages
Cropping
options
WP
(kg/m3)
WP
(kg/m3)
Ave
WP (
2
seasons)
2020
/21
(n=
11)
2019
/20
(n=
9)
CA
–Maize (M)
2
,28
1
,11
1
,7
CA
-Maize, bean intercrop (M+B)
2
,50
1
,21
1
,9
CA
-Maize cowpea
intercrop
(M+CP)
2
,84
1
,43
2
,1
CA
-Maize control (M-CA control)
1
,1
0
,8
1
,0
Conventionally
tilled maize (M
-
Conv
Control)
0
,75
0
,36
0
,6
Measurements
Water productivity field cropping
WP for maize grown in a
multi-cropping rotation
CA system is much higher
(x2) than CA mono-
cropped maize or
conventionally tilled
maize (x3)
This means that on
averageyouwillsave1
500-2 000 liters of water
foreverykgofmaize
produced.
AverageyieldinBergville
for CA was 6,3t/ha (2021).
This means that CA
intercropping saves around
5 -6 million liters of water
foreveryhectareplanted
CA (2 rounds)
•15 CMTs in 5 villages (75) –crop growth
monitoring, yield measurements, cropping areas
measured
•Runoff pans, rainfall, bulk density, water
productivity for 8-12 participants
•250 farmers from 12 villages improve CA (20ha’s) –
planning, demonstration and learning w/s and
planting support. Cropping areas measured.
Monitoring for min of 50 –growth and yield
•Inclusion of different varieties of maize, legumes
and cover crops for all
LIVESTOCK INTEGRATION (2 rounds)
•Fodderproductiontrials (min25)across5CRA
groups –monitoring
•Winter supplementation cross 5 CRA learning
groups (25)
WATERACCESS
•Meetings with water committees, walkabout,
surveys, layouts and scenarios for min 1 villages
•Planning and implementation for min 20 hhs
GOVERNANCE AND STEWARDSHIP
•Reviewandplanningmeetingmin2CRAlearning
groups
•Cluster meetings around specific themes/issues
•2Workshops to discuss water and resource
stewardshipandmanagement
•Attendanceof1-2 multistakeholder events
Activities
MILESTONE 2-September 2022
•Work plan and Reporting Framework
MILESTONE 3-December 2022
•Progress on all activities
•CA: review and planning meetings (min 2)
•Cluster meeting –VWB and mycotoxin training
•Participants lists, areas, procurement of inputs,
planting, demonstrations and planting support
(75 CMTs, 250 CA plots)
•Livestock integration: Monitoring for winter
foddersupplementation (25)andplanningand
planting of 25 fodder trials
•Meetings with water committees, walkabout and
scenarios for 1 village
•1 Multistakeholder event/meeting –Water
services???LCP???WRC_ESS???
Interventions to address policy and legislative
shortfalls:
1. Entails the amendment of the WSA of 1997, Section
51(3) to designate WSCs as vehicles of community
participation, add water cooperatives as alternative
institutions alongside WSCs, and make way for
partnerships between municipalities and communities.
2. There is also a need to review the IDP processes of
community consultation to include capacity
development and training elements for creating a
common understanding and shared viewof IDP based
on transparency and mutual trust.
3. Participatoryapproachesthatseecommunitiesas
partners and not just consumers, as well as considers
the range of strengths and assets that communities
bring into water management rather than keeping the
sole focus on their water needs and creating
expectation and dependency ongovernment
handouts.
Milestones