PN17 Final Report. The Challenge of Integrated Water Resource Management for Improved Rural Livelihoods: Managing Risk, Mitigating Drought and Improving Water Productivity in the Water Scarce Limpopo Basin.

Abstract

The main goal of the Challenge Program on Water and Food Project 17 (PN17) was to contribute to improved rural livelihoods of poor smallholder farmers in the Limpopo Basin. This goal was achieved through the development of an Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) framework for increased productive use of water flows and risk management for drought and dry-spell mitigation at all scales within the basin. The project also had a strong bias towards human capacity building which was fully integrated into all research activities. The research project was carried out in three pilot catchments using three approaches: Farmer Field Based Action Research (FFBAR) using technologies such as conservation farming and nutrient management to increase crop yields; Water Resources Research where rain, surface water and groundwater flow partitioning was characterized; and Institutional Research which developed appropriate institutional models for water governance and strengthened institutions and policies for water productivity and risk mitigation. The was implemented by 14 partners who were made up of two consultative groups of international agricultural research (CGIAR) centers, 10 national research centers (NARES), one agricultural research institute (ARI) and 1 non-governmental organization (NGO). The project covered three countries, South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The project was originally planned to be carried out over four years. However, a no cost extension was granted for an extra year to allow for project completion.

Citation

WaterNet, Zimbabwe. CPWF Project Report, 162 pp.

PN17 Final Report. The Challenge of Integrated Water Resource Management for Improved Rural Livelihoods: Managing Risk, Mitigating Drought and Improving Water Productivity in the Water Scarce Limpopo Basin.

Published 1 January 2010