Socio-economic valuation of water reallocation: framework development and application in South Africa

This paper introduces a socio-economic valuation framework for water reallocation that integrates considerations of equity, efficiency, and sustainability into decision-making. Designed to inform the development and implementation of policy in contexts of water scarcity and historical inequality, th...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Zane, Giulia, Buisson, Marie-Charlotte, van Koppen, Barbara, Sithole, P., Mapedza, Everisto D., Dini, J.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: IWA Publishing 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178366
_version_ 1855535203101966336
author Zane, Giulia
Buisson, Marie-Charlotte
van Koppen, Barbara
Sithole, P.
Mapedza, Everisto D.
Dini, J.
author_browse Buisson, Marie-Charlotte
Dini, J.
Mapedza, Everisto D.
Sithole, P.
Zane, Giulia
van Koppen, Barbara
author_facet Zane, Giulia
Buisson, Marie-Charlotte
van Koppen, Barbara
Sithole, P.
Mapedza, Everisto D.
Dini, J.
author_sort Zane, Giulia
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This paper introduces a socio-economic valuation framework for water reallocation that integrates considerations of equity, efficiency, and sustainability into decision-making. Designed to inform the development and implementation of policy in contexts of water scarcity and historical inequality, the framework systematically incorporates both direct economic benefits and externalities, such as poverty alleviation, food security, and inequality reduction, across different user groups. Applying the framework to South Africa's Inkomati-Usuthu Water Management Area (IUWMA), we demonstrate how it aligns with the country's third National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS-3) and compulsory licensing processes under the National Water Act. Despite data limitations, empirical findings from the case study reveal that reallocating water from large-scale commercial agriculture to historically disadvantaged smallholder farmers could yield welfare gains. The proposed framework offers a practical tool to support inclusive and evidence-based water governance by moving beyond conventional equity-efficiency trade-offs and incorporating non-market benefits.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace178366
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher IWA Publishing
publisherStr IWA Publishing
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1783662025-11-28T06:43:08Z Socio-economic valuation of water reallocation: framework development and application in South Africa Zane, Giulia Buisson, Marie-Charlotte van Koppen, Barbara Sithole, P. Mapedza, Everisto D. Dini, J. socioeconomics valuation resource allocation equity decision making smallholders This paper introduces a socio-economic valuation framework for water reallocation that integrates considerations of equity, efficiency, and sustainability into decision-making. Designed to inform the development and implementation of policy in contexts of water scarcity and historical inequality, the framework systematically incorporates both direct economic benefits and externalities, such as poverty alleviation, food security, and inequality reduction, across different user groups. Applying the framework to South Africa's Inkomati-Usuthu Water Management Area (IUWMA), we demonstrate how it aligns with the country's third National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS-3) and compulsory licensing processes under the National Water Act. Despite data limitations, empirical findings from the case study reveal that reallocating water from large-scale commercial agriculture to historically disadvantaged smallholder farmers could yield welfare gains. The proposed framework offers a practical tool to support inclusive and evidence-based water governance by moving beyond conventional equity-efficiency trade-offs and incorporating non-market benefits. 2025-10-09 2025-11-28T06:41:39Z 2025-11-28T06:41:39Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178366 en Open Access IWA Publishing Zane, G.; Buisson, M.-C.; van Koppen, B.; Sithole, P.; Mapedza, E.; Dini, J. 2025. Socio-economic valuation of water reallocation: framework development and application in South Africa. Water Policy, wp2025114. (Online first). doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2025.114
spellingShingle socioeconomics
valuation
resource allocation
equity
decision making
smallholders
Zane, Giulia
Buisson, Marie-Charlotte
van Koppen, Barbara
Sithole, P.
Mapedza, Everisto D.
Dini, J.
Socio-economic valuation of water reallocation: framework development and application in South Africa
title Socio-economic valuation of water reallocation: framework development and application in South Africa
title_full Socio-economic valuation of water reallocation: framework development and application in South Africa
title_fullStr Socio-economic valuation of water reallocation: framework development and application in South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Socio-economic valuation of water reallocation: framework development and application in South Africa
title_short Socio-economic valuation of water reallocation: framework development and application in South Africa
title_sort socio economic valuation of water reallocation framework development and application in south africa
topic socioeconomics
valuation
resource allocation
equity
decision making
smallholders
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/178366
work_keys_str_mv AT zanegiulia socioeconomicvaluationofwaterreallocationframeworkdevelopmentandapplicationinsouthafrica
AT buissonmariecharlotte socioeconomicvaluationofwaterreallocationframeworkdevelopmentandapplicationinsouthafrica
AT vankoppenbarbara socioeconomicvaluationofwaterreallocationframeworkdevelopmentandapplicationinsouthafrica
AT sitholep socioeconomicvaluationofwaterreallocationframeworkdevelopmentandapplicationinsouthafrica
AT mapedzaeveristod socioeconomicvaluationofwaterreallocationframeworkdevelopmentandapplicationinsouthafrica
AT dinij socioeconomicvaluationofwaterreallocationframeworkdevelopmentandapplicationinsouthafrica