Approaches for emerging farmer participation in water resource management: the case of the Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency (BGCMA), Western Cape

Abstract

The report covers Deliverable 6 of the Water Research Commission Project 2310 entitled ‘Approaches for Emerging Farmer Participation in Water Resource Management: The Case of the Breede-Gouritz Catchment Management Agency (BGCMA), Western Cape. The project aims to eventually develop an ideal approach for involving emerging farmers in water resources management. The original objectives of the Deliverable 6 report were to document emerging farmer challenges, needs and opportunities for accessing water resources. However, since October 2015 the project took a very interesting turn, when water institutions decided to become active participants in the project. Therefore, more workshops than originally planned have been conducted so far, with additional funding from the BGCMA. The institutions identified a number of critical challenges that hamper effective support to emerging farmers, with lack of information being identified as one of the major problems. The water institutions, with the involvement of farmers, therefore decided to develop ways that could make information more accessible to farmers. The report is divided into two sections, covering activities that have been carried out since the submission of Deliverable 5. The first section reports the deliberations of a combined water dialogue held with emerging farmers and water institutions during the annual BGCMA/Cape Peninsula University of Technology Water Seminar in March 2016. The second report covers proceedings of a recent combined institutions/emerging farmer water dialogue held at the BGCMA on the 19th August 2016.