Agricultural water access conflicts among smallholder farmers in the Western Cape, South Africa
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| Název: | Agricultural water access conflicts among smallholder farmers in the Western Cape, South Africa |
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| Autoři: | Bongani Ncube, Evans Shoko |
| Zdroj: | Interdisciplinary Journal of Rural and Community Studies, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp a07-a07 (2025) |
| Informace o vydavateli: | ERRCD Forum, 2025. |
| Rok vydání: | 2025 |
| Sbírka: | LCC:Language and Literature LCC:Social Sciences |
| Témata: | inequity, smallholder farmers, agricultural water, water conflicts, identity, Language and Literature, Social Sciences |
| Popis: | Despite extensive legal reforms to democratise water governance, smallholder farmers in South Africa face challenges in accessing productive water. This paper describes water access conflicts among smallholder farmers in fourteen (14) historical rural towns in the Western Cape. The study examined how historical injustices, socio-economic disparities, environmental concerns, and colonial legacies have influenced current water governance and access mechanisms. Using a qualitative-exploratory framework, smallholder farmers were interviewed one-on-one (n = 119) and through focus group discussions (n = 51) to explore their understanding of water governance and agricultural water access conflicts. The findings from participant narratives were analysed thematically using Atlas.ti. The study found that historical inequities, inadequate infrastructure, differing social identities, and exclusion from decision-making perpetuate water access disparities among smallholder farmers, leading to resource conflicts. Climate change has impacted farmers, who have limited adaptive capacity due to land ownership constraints and water access barriers. Participants highlighted how these systemic issues converge to undermine investment in water-saving technologies, sustain cycles of vulnerability, and create the potential for in-group and out-group conflicts. A nuanced understanding of how social identity, particularly ‘intra-ethnicity’, and land ownership influence water access is needed. We recommend equitable water allocation mechanisms, community-based participatory governance, and investments in infrastructure to mitigate conflicts and promote sustainable water management. |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| Popis souboru: | electronic resource |
| Jazyk: | English |
| ISSN: | 2710-2572 |
| Relation: | https://pubs.ufs.ac.za/index.php/ijrcs/article/view/2020; https://doaj.org/toc/2710-2572 |
| DOI: | 10.38140/ijrcs-2024.vol7.1.07 |
| Přístupová URL adresa: | https://doaj.org/article/6736f6aff6614efd90c33cb5e4f2eec4 |
| Přístupové číslo: | edsdoj.6736f6aff6614efd90c33cb5e4f2eec4 |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
Nájsť tento článok vo Web of Science | Abstrakt: | Despite extensive legal reforms to democratise water governance, smallholder farmers in South Africa face challenges in accessing productive water. This paper describes water access conflicts among smallholder farmers in fourteen (14) historical rural towns in the Western Cape. The study examined how historical injustices, socio-economic disparities, environmental concerns, and colonial legacies have influenced current water governance and access mechanisms. Using a qualitative-exploratory framework, smallholder farmers were interviewed one-on-one (n = 119) and through focus group discussions (n = 51) to explore their understanding of water governance and agricultural water access conflicts. The findings from participant narratives were analysed thematically using Atlas.ti. The study found that historical inequities, inadequate infrastructure, differing social identities, and exclusion from decision-making perpetuate water access disparities among smallholder farmers, leading to resource conflicts. Climate change has impacted farmers, who have limited adaptive capacity due to land ownership constraints and water access barriers. Participants highlighted how these systemic issues converge to undermine investment in water-saving technologies, sustain cycles of vulnerability, and create the potential for in-group and out-group conflicts. A nuanced understanding of how social identity, particularly ‘intra-ethnicity’, and land ownership influence water access is needed. We recommend equitable water allocation mechanisms, community-based participatory governance, and investments in infrastructure to mitigate conflicts and promote sustainable water management. |
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| ISSN: | 27102572 |
| DOI: | 10.38140/ijrcs-2024.vol7.1.07 |