Environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Letaba River Basin, South Africa
This study evaluates the socioecological consequences of the potential trade-offs between maintaining environmental flows (e-flows) and providing water for sustainable subsistence agriculture and livelihoods to the vulnerable human communities living along the lower Great Letaba River in South Afric...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Artículo preliminar |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
International Water Management Institute
2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131502 |
| _version_ | 1855527123555450880 |
|---|---|
| author | Dickens, Chris Whitney, Cory W. Luedeling, Eike Dlamini, V. O’Brien, G. Greffiths, Ikhothatseng Jacob |
| author_browse | Dickens, Chris Dlamini, V. Greffiths, Ikhothatseng Jacob Luedeling, Eike O’Brien, G. Whitney, Cory W. |
| author_facet | Dickens, Chris Whitney, Cory W. Luedeling, Eike Dlamini, V. O’Brien, G. Greffiths, Ikhothatseng Jacob |
| author_sort | Dickens, Chris |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | This study evaluates the socioecological consequences of the potential trade-offs between maintaining environmental flows (e-flows) and providing water for sustainable subsistence agriculture and livelihoods to the vulnerable human communities living along the lower Great Letaba River in South Africa. Implementation of e-flows is now generally recognized as an essential part of water resources management as they are designed to ensure that sufficient water is retained in a river to protect river ecosystems and all the beneficiaries of services that arise from those ecosystems. Understanding the relationship between e-flows and the use of water for small-scale agriculture is important for the management of trade-offs.
The Letaba River Basin and it's tributary, the Great/Groot Letaba, are located in the eastern part of the Limpopo province in South Africa. This is one of the most important river basins in the region supporting both large-scale commercial and small-scale farmers. The river sustains many vulnerable human communities who depend on the ecosystem services provided by the river. Yet, the water resources of the Letaba River are heavily overutilized due to expanding developments, including upstream dams with associated offtakes mostly for irrigation.
The findings of the study indicate that irrigation water demand from subsistence agriculture in the Great Letaba Basin amounted to around 2 million cubic meters annually with median demand not exceeding 300,000 cubic meters per month. This means that irrigation water demand from smallholder agriculture only amounts to about one-tenth of the estimated e-flow requirement. However, small-scale farmers contend with an increasing crop water gap which limits irrigated agriculture, especially during the dry season. Given the need to sustainably maintain e-flows for ecological purposes, crop water gaps are only likely to increase and compromise the sustainability of irrigated agriculture. With active upstream supplementation of river flows from dams to maintain both environmental and livelihoods-oriented river flows, the crop water gap can be fully eliminated. This supplementation is not assured due to competing uses. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace131502 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | International Water Management Institute |
| publisherStr | International Water Management Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1315022025-11-07T08:44:02Z Environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Letaba River Basin, South Africa Dickens, Chris Whitney, Cory W. Luedeling, Eike Dlamini, V. O’Brien, G. Greffiths, Ikhothatseng Jacob environmental flows sustainable agriculture sustainable intensification small-scale farming livelihoods river basins water resources water management water availability water demand irrigation water irrigated farming subsistence farming crop water use water requirements crop yield ecosystem services river flow catchment areas fishing livestock smallholders farmers gender women risk rural communities policies food security sustainable development goals water rights land rights modelling This study evaluates the socioecological consequences of the potential trade-offs between maintaining environmental flows (e-flows) and providing water for sustainable subsistence agriculture and livelihoods to the vulnerable human communities living along the lower Great Letaba River in South Africa. Implementation of e-flows is now generally recognized as an essential part of water resources management as they are designed to ensure that sufficient water is retained in a river to protect river ecosystems and all the beneficiaries of services that arise from those ecosystems. Understanding the relationship between e-flows and the use of water for small-scale agriculture is important for the management of trade-offs. The Letaba River Basin and it's tributary, the Great/Groot Letaba, are located in the eastern part of the Limpopo province in South Africa. This is one of the most important river basins in the region supporting both large-scale commercial and small-scale farmers. The river sustains many vulnerable human communities who depend on the ecosystem services provided by the river. Yet, the water resources of the Letaba River are heavily overutilized due to expanding developments, including upstream dams with associated offtakes mostly for irrigation. The findings of the study indicate that irrigation water demand from subsistence agriculture in the Great Letaba Basin amounted to around 2 million cubic meters annually with median demand not exceeding 300,000 cubic meters per month. This means that irrigation water demand from smallholder agriculture only amounts to about one-tenth of the estimated e-flow requirement. However, small-scale farmers contend with an increasing crop water gap which limits irrigated agriculture, especially during the dry season. Given the need to sustainably maintain e-flows for ecological purposes, crop water gaps are only likely to increase and compromise the sustainability of irrigated agriculture. With active upstream supplementation of river flows from dams to maintain both environmental and livelihoods-oriented river flows, the crop water gap can be fully eliminated. This supplementation is not assured due to competing uses. 2023-08-08 2023-08-08T10:37:02Z 2023-08-08T10:37:02Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131502 en Open Access application/pdf International Water Management Institute Dickens, Chris; Whitney, C.; Luedeling, E.; Dlamini, V.; O'Brien, G.; Greffiths, Ikhothatseng Jacob. 2023. Environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Letaba River Basin, South Africa. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 51p. (IWMI Working Paper 205) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2022.226] |
| spellingShingle | environmental flows sustainable agriculture sustainable intensification small-scale farming livelihoods river basins water resources water management water availability water demand irrigation water irrigated farming subsistence farming crop water use water requirements crop yield ecosystem services river flow catchment areas fishing livestock smallholders farmers gender women risk rural communities policies food security sustainable development goals water rights land rights modelling Dickens, Chris Whitney, Cory W. Luedeling, Eike Dlamini, V. O’Brien, G. Greffiths, Ikhothatseng Jacob Environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Letaba River Basin, South Africa |
| title | Environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Letaba River Basin, South Africa |
| title_full | Environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Letaba River Basin, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Letaba River Basin, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Letaba River Basin, South Africa |
| title_short | Environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the Letaba River Basin, South Africa |
| title_sort | environmental flows in support of sustainable intensification of agriculture in the letaba river basin south africa |
| topic | environmental flows sustainable agriculture sustainable intensification small-scale farming livelihoods river basins water resources water management water availability water demand irrigation water irrigated farming subsistence farming crop water use water requirements crop yield ecosystem services river flow catchment areas fishing livestock smallholders farmers gender women risk rural communities policies food security sustainable development goals water rights land rights modelling |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/131502 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dickenschris environmentalflowsinsupportofsustainableintensificationofagricultureintheletabariverbasinsouthafrica AT whitneycoryw environmentalflowsinsupportofsustainableintensificationofagricultureintheletabariverbasinsouthafrica AT luedelingeike environmentalflowsinsupportofsustainableintensificationofagricultureintheletabariverbasinsouthafrica AT dlaminiv environmentalflowsinsupportofsustainableintensificationofagricultureintheletabariverbasinsouthafrica AT obrieng environmentalflowsinsupportofsustainableintensificationofagricultureintheletabariverbasinsouthafrica AT greffithsikhothatsengjacob environmentalflowsinsupportofsustainableintensificationofagricultureintheletabariverbasinsouthafrica |