A Smallgrower's Challenge to 'Emerge'
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A Smallgrower’s Challenge to ‘Emerge’ Exploring the diversity of evapotranspiration, biomass, yield production and crop water productivity of sugar cane in the Lower Komati sub-catchment, South Africa M.Sc. Thesis by G.M. ten Napel March 2009 Irrigation and Water Engineering Group A Smallgrower’s Challenge to ‘Emerge’ Exploring the diversity of evapotranspiration, biomass, yield production and crop water productivity of sugar cane in the Lower Komati sub-catchment, South Africa Master thesis Irrigation and Water Engineering submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Science in International Land and Water Management at Wageningen University, the Netherlands G.M. ten Napel March 2009 Supervisors: Dr. Ir. Flip Wester Dr. Ir. Richard Soppe Dr. Ir. Gerardo van Halsema Irrigation and Water Engineering Group WaterWatch Centre for Water and Climate Remote Sensing Services Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands The Netherlands http://www.iwe.wur.nl http://www.waterwatch.nl ABSTRACT The Inkomati catchment is one of 19 Water Management Areas (WMAs) in South Africa bordering Mozambique and Swaziland. Within the Inkomati WMA, the Lower Komati sub- catchment is an area of intensive sugarcane farming. Historically, the area was reserved for large scale ‘white’ commercial farming, but since Apartheid came to an end in 1994, the South African government is aiming to redress the racial and gender inequities of the past. In 1994, the Nkomazi Irrigation Expansion Programme (NIEP) was started with the objective to promote economic development for the ‘black’ people in the area. 9,800ha of previously under utilized land was transformed into 1500 irrigated sugarcane farming ventures. It was assumed that sugarcane would help these farmers emerge as commercial producers, transforming their farming systems into those associated with commercial production. In this research, the parameters of ETa, biomass, yield production and crop water productivity are used as indicators for the socio-economic objectives of the NIEP. The diversity of these four parameters among both commercial and emerging farmers in the Lower Komati is quantified using satellite imagery and remote sensing. In order to explore the transition process of the NIEP, reasons for the diversity in ETa, biomass, yield production and crop water productivity are sought among crop-physiological factors such as climate and clay content of the soil, but also among socio-economic factors such as water quantity and soil fertility. Final reasons for this diversity are explored within the concept of the farming system. KEYWORDS: LOWER KOMATI, EMERGING FARMERS, COMMERCIAL FARMERS, EVAPO- TRANSPIRATION, BIOMASS, YIELD PRODUCTION, CROP WATER PRODUCTIVITY, FARMING SYSTEM iii iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During this research I have had the opportunity to work with many enthousiastic people who have helped me in many ways. Many thanks go to the people of TSB Sugar in Malelane. I would like to thank Andre van der Merwe, Jannes van der Merwe, Herman le Roux and Greg Gillespie for all the data and insights they provided me with. Thanks go to Johan Lambrechts for all the help with GIS, and to Tania Cronje who has been there for me all along the way. I also want to thank Martin Slabbert for his inputs and ideas while supervising me, and for supplying me with great accommodation. Thanks, Roelf Venter, for arranging a much needed car for me to use! Thanks go to Nomfundo Mathebula who has helped me tremendously by being a translator during the interviews, and to Bongi Bhengu and Sifiso Nkhwanazi who have taken me into the field many times, while giving me many insights into the issues at stake. Special thanks go to Shapo Mavimbela who has helped me extensively by arranging interviews with the small growers and showing me around during my first days. Thanks to all the small growers and commercial growers who took the time to talk to me. Thanks, also, to the people at ICMA, DoA, DALA, LandBank, CANEGROWERS, KOBWA and the Irrigation Boards who were available for interviews. Special thanks go to Brian Jackson, Marius van Rooyen, Piet du Toit, Richard Granville, Willie du Toit and Justin Murray. For all the support I received with my remote sensing work I would like to thank Richard Soppe of WaterWatch. He introduced me to SEBAL and has helped me with the technical part of the research. Thanks also to Ivo Miltenburg en Wim Bastiaanssen of WaterWatch for guiding me during my research. Last, but not least, thanks to Frans Huibers who helped me with finding a topic for my thesis, and to Gerardo van Halsema and Flip Wester for all their feedback, inputs and supervision during the writing of my final report. Marije v vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................................. v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 THE CONTEXT: WATER AND LAND REFORM IN SOUTH AFRICA ........................................ 2 1.1.1 Water Reform and the National Water Act ................................................................................ 2 1.1.1.1 Remote Sensing and the National Water Act......................................................................... 3 1.1.2 Land Reform............................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 THE INKOMATI CATCHMENT....................................................................................................... 4 1.2.1 The Inkomati Water Management Area ..................................................................................... 4 1.2.2 The Nkomazi .............................................................................................................................. 6 1.2.2.1 The Nkomazi Irrigation Expansion Programme .................................................................... 7 1.3 THE RESEARCH AREA: THE LOWER KOMATI .......................................................................... 7 1.3.1 The Komati Sub-Catchment ....................................................................................................... 7 1.3.2 The Lower Komati ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.3.2.1 Climate .................................................................................................................................. 8 1.3.2.2 Water Resources .................................................................................................................... 9 1.3.2.3 Soil Type.............................................................................................................................. 11 1.3.2.4 Demography ........................................................................................................................ 11 1.3.2.5 Irrigated Agriculture ............................................................................................................ 12 1.4 INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................. 13 1.4.1 The South African Sugar Association ...................................................................................... 13 1.4.2 TSB Sugar ................................................................................................................................ 14 1.4.3 The Department of Agriculture ................................................................................................ 15 1.4.4 The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry........................................................................ 15 1.4.5 The Inkomati Catchment Management Agency ....................................................................... 16 1.4.6 The Komati Basin Water Authority.......................................................................................... 16 1.4.7 Irrigation Boards....................................................................................................................... 16 1.4.8 Commercial Farmers ................................................................................................................ 17 1.4.9 NIEP Emerging Farmers .......................................................................................................... 18 1.5 PROBLEM DEFINITION ................................................................................................................. 19 1.6 OBJECTIVES.................................................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY.................................................. 21 2.1 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................................... 21 2.1.1 Evapotranspiration and Biomass .............................................................................................. 21 2.1.2 Yield and Crop Water Productivity .........................................................................................