The research questions
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How are the principles of the National Water Act & the National Water
Resources Strategy of South Africa put into practice in the Olifants river
basin, including documentation of the establishment of the Catchment Management
Agency and smallholder Water User Associations?
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What institutional models, catchment management strategies, and land and water
management practices contribute to reducing risk and improving water
productivity and farm income among smallholder farmers?
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Objective
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To improve land and water productivity, livelihoods, and gender equity in the
Olifants river basin through comprehensive interdisciplinary research, policy
and capacity building. (The present project description brings together all
IWMI work in the Olifants basin under a single umbrella, including IWMI inputs
to partner-led CPWF projects having research sites in the basin)
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Methods
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Process documentation of the establishment of the Catchment Management Agency
and Water User Associations (WUAs), including the water allocation reform
program, for which the Olifants Basin has been selected as a pilot basin.
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Collection and analysis of socio-economic and hydrological data with a view to
gaining insights and creating user-friendly GIS-based spatial overlays between
administrative and hydrological boundaries and management units, together with
links between the various scales and IWMI's global databases.
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Interaction with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in its program of
carrying out its inventory and registration of water uses and users (e.g.,
through the WARMS registration system)
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Computation and analysis of the equity in water distribution differential water
and land productivity among various small-scale and large-scale water user
sectors; identifying options for improving land and water productivity.
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Field surveys and ground-truthing in selected quaternary catchments to assess
production systems and 'actual' water management practices in the commercial
farming and small holder sectors to refine water productivity assessments in
the basin (including SEBAL analyses for actual ET estimation)
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Simulate water management scenarios at different scales, derive trends/lessons
on scaling up, and analyze interactions between water allocation, water
productivity, and equity issues in the basin.
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Study of local governance structures with a view to improving land and water
productivity, including promoting investments in water for productive and
domestic uses and the potential for up-scaling and integration of bio-physical
and institutional innovations.
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Training and capacity building activities.
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Project leader
Hilmy Sally (H.Sally@cgiar.org)
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Researchers
Ahmad, Mobin-ud-din; Inocencio, Arlene; Magagula, Tulani; McCartney, Matthew;
Morardet, Sylvie; Rollin, Dominique; Sally, Hilmy; Van Koppen, Barbara.
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Collaborators
Waternet
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Major Donors
Challenge Program on Water and Food, Waternet
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Project Duration
01 January 2005 to 31 December 2009
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Location
IWMI - Sub Regional Office for Nile Basin & Eastern Africa
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