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Enhancing Agriculture Sector for Water Quality and Security

Dr. Shadrack Moephuli presents the Agriculture Vision & Mission focusing on sustainable agriculture, rural development, and equitable access. Core elements include competitiveness, resource management, and good governance. Special emphasis is placed on water quality challenges faced by the sector, with a case study on the pollution of Berg River Valley affecting fruit production and public health. Proposed actions and solutions aim to address pollution, water loss, and conservation, stressing the importance of collaborative efforts. Overall, the presentation underscores the critical role of water quality in agriculture and the necessity for immediate action.

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Enhancing Agriculture Sector for Water Quality and Security

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  1. AGRICULTURE SECTOR AND WATER QUALITY & SECURITYDWAF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE PRESENTATIONDr. Shadrack Moephuli

  2. AGRICULTURE VISION & MISSION VISION: A united & prosperous agricultural sector MISSION: lead and support sustainable agriculture, thereby promoting rural development through: • Access to safe, sufficient & nutritious food • Maximising growth, employment & income in agric. • Eliminating skewed participation & inequity • Sustainable management of natural resources & ecological systems • Effective and efficient governance • Knowledge and Information Management

  3. AGRICULTURE SECTOR PLAN CORE ELEMENTS • Enhance equitable access and participation • Improve global competitiveness and profitability • Ensure sustainable resource management SUPPORTIVE ELEMENTS • Good governance • Integrated & sustainable rural development • Knowledge & innovation • International cooperation • Safety & security

  4. People’s Contract

  5. LAND & AGRARIAN REFORM • Post Settlement Support • Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme • Extension Support • Infrastructure • Regulatory Services • Finance – MAFISA • Training & Capacity Building • Knowledge and Information Management

  6. AGRICULTURE PROGRAMMES • LRAD • IFSNP • Household Programme for Food Production • AGRIBEE • CASP • LandCare

  7. COMPETITIVENESS & PROFITABILITY (ASGI – SA) • Land Reform • Land Rehabilitation • Irrigation • Biofuels • Livestock • Crops – Horticulture

  8. WATER IN AGRICULTURE • Dry land Crop Production • Grazing Land (Livestock production) • Aquaculture • Groundwater • Irrigated Land • Agro -- processing

  9. CHALLENGES TO AGRICULTURE ON WATER • Access – Allocations (WAR) • Aquadams? • Water storage facilities • Infrastructure – schemes (e.g. RESIS) • Quality (PIP, Exports) • Governance

  10. WATER ALLOCATION REFORM • Irrigation schemes for black/new entrants • Water from upper Gariep/Orange river for 12 000 Ha of irrigation land. • Review current allocations to enable access for CASP and other land reform beneficiaries. • Review allocation in alignment with use efficiency – water pricing

  11. INFRASTRUCTURE • Rehabilitation of existing schemes (36?) • Revitalization of Small Irrigation Schemes (RESIS) • ICON • New irrigation schemes for new entrants • Additional dams ?

  12. QUALITY • Pollution • Informal Settlements (sewage & waste) • Industrial effluent • Soil erosion • Pesticides & Herbicides • Overexploitation • Recycling • Groundwater • Salinity

  13. Berg River Case Study Pollution of Berg River Valley (294 km, 7715 km2): • Produce deciduous fruits – peaches, grapes, apples, pears, apricots & plums. • Extensive orchards & vineyards – water • Deciduous fruit industry is worth approx. R1 billion. • 70 % of the fruits are exported to EU Problem • Lack of sanitation for poor residents – bucket system • Disposal into river & storm water drains • Paarl & Wellington human faeces observed on river bed

  14. Berg River Valley Case Study continued Implications: • Dr. Barnes isolated infectious bacteria from the water in high quantities (e.g. E. coli, Staphylococcus) • E. coli counts of 5 000 to 2 400 million! Dangerous!! • Possible infections to humans – possible diseases – public health risk • Possible Disaster for Fruit Industry in the Western Cape • Export markets – EU because of EUROPGAP, SPS • Knock – on effect if fruit producers lose markets – packaging and bottling will have to close and more job losses. • This is a competitiveness -- weakness

  15. PROPOSED ACTIONS ON QUALITY • Pollution: • Informal settlements – expedite or secure clean water for agricultural production • Industrial manufacturing – regulatory compliance needs enforcement • Pesticides – Pesticides Initiative Programme • Overexploitation • Rainwater Harvesting • Improve infrastructure to reduce seepage and water loss from schemes • Incentives and disincentives for water use to encourage conservation

  16. PROPOSED SOLUTIONS • Housing & industrial effluent management systems • Integrate river basin, watershed & groundwater management & introduce measures to improve efficiency of water infrastructure to reduce losses • Promote and create incentives for water quality among all users • Maximise water retention capacity of soils • Promote water harvesting and conservation technologies • On Informal settlements Possible Task Team between: • Agriculture • Water Affairs • Housing • DPLG • DEAT • DoH

  17. CONCLUSION Water quality is important to agriculture because it gives life and better livelihoods. It’s crucial the problems of water quality and security are resolved as a matter of urgency. Department of Agriculture will continue to do its part to improve quality, use and conservation of water in the sector We urge others to do the same. THANK YOU

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