Developing Resilient Small-Scale Farmers against Water Scarcity in Rural-Based Crop Production Farms, South Africa 

In South Africa, small-scale farmers in rural areas are likely to suffer most from water scarcity, as they do not have adequate resources to deal with the threat. Yet, there is little understanding of farm-level resilience mechanisms against water scarcity in Vhembe District, a typical rural setting in the country. The current study was undertaken to identify and explain small-scale farmers' resilience factors to water scarcity at the farm level. The study was conducted at the Luvhada Irrigation Scheme in Limpopo Province. An explorative case study design was adopted. Eighteen respondents were purposively sampled and data were collected using semi-structured interview guides. The ATLAS.ti version 8 software (network and primary document table tools) was utilised to analyse data. Results illustrated water access challenges that encompassed dilapidated canal infrastructure, low water pressure and irregular water access. Management challenges such as insensitiveness of schedules to crop variety, limited irrigation time and disproportionate water distribution were further highlighted. To address these challenges, mechanisms such as regular canal maintenance, reduction of farming area and irrigation scheduling are applied to retain resilience. However, these mechanisms are survivalist in nature, as they did not translate to increased crop production. Thus, small-scale farmers need to be capacitated on modern water management mechanisms and be provided with resource to build on the existing water management mechanisms in the area.