Agriculture, water use in southern Africa: applying the concept of integrated water resources management

More than 80% of annual water withdrawal in southern Africa is for agricultural purposes. Much of the region experiences semi-arid to arid climates and water resources vary considerably. In many countries water managcmcnt is complicated by the frequent recurrence of droughts. Improved management of...

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Autores principales: McCartney, Matthew P., Sally, Hilmy, Senzanje, Aidan
Formato: Conference Paper
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2004
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/38559
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author McCartney, Matthew P.
Sally, Hilmy
Senzanje, Aidan
author_browse McCartney, Matthew P.
Sally, Hilmy
Senzanje, Aidan
author_facet McCartney, Matthew P.
Sally, Hilmy
Senzanje, Aidan
author_sort McCartney, Matthew P.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description More than 80% of annual water withdrawal in southern Africa is for agricultural purposes. Much of the region experiences semi-arid to arid climates and water resources vary considerably. In many countries water managcmcnt is complicated by the frequent recurrence of droughts. Improved management of water resources is a pre-requisite to future development in the region. This paper presents the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) which has been widely proffered as a modern approach to water management that will ensure long-term benefits whilst simultaneously protecting the environment and ensuring sustainability. The implications of IWRM for agriculture in southern Africa are assessed. Benefits for the agricultural sector include reduced vulnerability to climatic variability, improved productivity and a more rational and transparent approach to decision-making. However, there remain many constraints to the application of IWRM including lack of quantitativc information pertaining to water use and a wide range of institutional and other socioeconomic harriers. An evaluation of changes required to introduce IWRM within the agricullural sector, under arid and semi-arid conditions, is presented.
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spelling CGSpace385592023-09-23T17:51:47Z Agriculture, water use in southern Africa: applying the concept of integrated water resources management McCartney, Matthew P. Sally, Hilmy Senzanje, Aidan irrigation water water use irrigation management water resource management More than 80% of annual water withdrawal in southern Africa is for agricultural purposes. Much of the region experiences semi-arid to arid climates and water resources vary considerably. In many countries water managcmcnt is complicated by the frequent recurrence of droughts. Improved management of water resources is a pre-requisite to future development in the region. This paper presents the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) which has been widely proffered as a modern approach to water management that will ensure long-term benefits whilst simultaneously protecting the environment and ensuring sustainability. The implications of IWRM for agriculture in southern Africa are assessed. Benefits for the agricultural sector include reduced vulnerability to climatic variability, improved productivity and a more rational and transparent approach to decision-making. However, there remain many constraints to the application of IWRM including lack of quantitativc information pertaining to water use and a wide range of institutional and other socioeconomic harriers. An evaluation of changes required to introduce IWRM within the agricullural sector, under arid and semi-arid conditions, is presented. 2004 2014-06-13T11:42:25Z 2014-06-13T11:42:25Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/38559 en Limited Access McCartney, Matthew; Sally, H.; Senzanje, A. 2004. Agriculture, water use in southern Africa: applying the concept of integrated water resources management. Paper presented at the International Conference on Water Resources of Arid and Semi Arid Regions of Africa (WRASRA), 3 August 2004, Gaborone, Botswana. 6p.
spellingShingle irrigation water
water use
irrigation management
water resource management
McCartney, Matthew P.
Sally, Hilmy
Senzanje, Aidan
Agriculture, water use in southern Africa: applying the concept of integrated water resources management
title Agriculture, water use in southern Africa: applying the concept of integrated water resources management
title_full Agriculture, water use in southern Africa: applying the concept of integrated water resources management
title_fullStr Agriculture, water use in southern Africa: applying the concept of integrated water resources management
title_full_unstemmed Agriculture, water use in southern Africa: applying the concept of integrated water resources management
title_short Agriculture, water use in southern Africa: applying the concept of integrated water resources management
title_sort agriculture water use in southern africa applying the concept of integrated water resources management
topic irrigation water
water use
irrigation management
water resource management
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/38559
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