The agricultural sector has made impressive strides in embracing solutions that present new means of availing clean water to support regional and national food security and farming projections. Water purification and preservation initiatives that bring to the forefront the practicalities that address this challenge head-on have had steady traction, mostly when they complement the age-old surface water preservation techniques.
A successful pursuit towards a solution that guarantees accurate tracking of weather patterns to counter droughts remains an elusive one. For farmers to be able to prepare against droughts and align their plans to preserve livestock and harvest during those trying times, understanding the regional climate is crucial.
Extreme heat patterns, resulting in dry conditions, remain a source of distress in agriculture. Stakeholders in the agricultural trading ecosystem have long raised concerns about the impact of prolonged droughts. The demand signals the urgent need to invent practical solutions to arrest the problem.
Preserving natural provision of surface water
Surface water has always been nature’s wonder gift to farmers. The most natural and technical innovation popular for preserving this gifting is the traditional bore-hole system. Not only is it cost-effective, but it allows farmers a small-term relief for managing water, in line with planned agricultural operations. The effectiveness of this water management system relies on the tilted consequence of climate change – heavy storms. The resulting massive scale of water (from storms) upholds and sustains the need for the bore-hole system.
According to Thapelo Thlokwe of TP Thlokwe Farming, based in Hartsvallei near Warrenton in the Northern Cape, there are two periods within the 10-year time frame when the earth experiences heavy storms known as La Niña and El Niño which refer to wet and dry periods. “During rainy or wet periods surface water inclines, and this is beneficial for agriculture, municipal, industrial and mining operations. Water is important as it is needed for irrigation, stock water and a living habitat for aquatic animals,” he says. According to www.dws.gov.za, the surface water levels in the Northern Cape stood at an average of 90% Full Supply Capacity. “Furthermore during wet periods temperatures are not high which leads to a decrease in evaporation.”
However, the greatest concern with this end is that, unlike decades ago, surface water evaporates much quicker than ever before once the scorching heat returns. Tlhokwe explains that some farmers have opted for farming crops that require less water, translating to fewer hours of irrigation. “Most are planting pecan trees, replacing centre pivots with drip irrigation. Economically, this happens to be the best decision as the demand for nuts is up.” This development, on the other hand, hurts livestock farmers; it means vegetation is lost due to affected soil water.
Keeping surface water systems manageable
Tsholofelo Selolo is a Polokwane-based Poultry farmer, who has navigated her agricultural business, TNJ Chickens, through wavy seas. She advocates for the feasibility of boreholes as the most practical resource for preserving and managing surface water. She says boreholes are a natural reliance for many as they are an expensive investment (cost-wise) when launching as a one-time installation, however, the investment is worth it over the long run as it doesn’t require much maintenance or entail costly management processes. “Installing water pumps which can be activated to pump water from the boreholes using energy from a generator or a solar energy unit makes sense for our operating climate,” she says.
Water needs vary from household to household in the rural communities. This rings true for farming operations too. “The size of one’s farming operation is the ultimate determinant of how much water a farmer can preserve or will need for an effective operation. Extreme weather conditions are very difficult to predict and control, resulting in difficulty when containing or absorbing the daily demands of one’s production process which naturally requires an above average water supply.”
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The extreme aftershock of heat
The extreme heat patterns experienced in drought-inducing weather conditions are an open declaration of a climate-waging war against itself. The sudden switch between extreme heat to heavy rains and stormy episodes explains the severity. Or the sudden change from a blue sky morning to a stormy and grey afternoon in a matter of hours is captivatingly worrying. Farmers dread the feeling of unpreparedness that comes with sudden switch-ups and the immediate counter reactions meant to salvage fresh produce and livestock.
To sustain a well-balanced water management system imperative for an effective agricultural production operation, farmers are pushed to be creative by optimising the capacity of available resources. Despite the acceleration in the evaporation of surface water as a result of the scorching waves, there are trusted counters to dry conditions only if the farmer is well prepared. A good example of an efficient emergency water management system is the solution package integrated by the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme.
Whenever there is a decline in surface water, instead of each stakeholder receiving 100% of their water rights or supply, it is divided by half so it can be shared amongst other stakeholders, says Tlhokwe.
Optimising the capacity of resources against vanishing surface water
“And as for the stock water, the provision of water supply to animals decreases as boreholes run dry at times. This is not a new problem, however, it is a problem we continue to experience. All of this may eventually result in not being able to irrigate at a full scale. In the end, farmers of various commodities must be able to adjust their operations according to the availability of water supply,” he adds. The system is designed to provide accurate water measurements from the supply to the endpoint in real time.
Factors that pose a threat to surface water, as observed by farmers, are plenty. They include mismanagement of water systems (natural and engineered) and overgrazing. Once the bare batches of the soil are exposed to extreme heat, this may lead to soil erosion caused by water run. This ultimately causes ‘bush encroachment’ which may put pressure on underground water due to their thick deep root systems. Exposure of chemicals through water channels may compromise water quality that is available for use.’
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When daily conditions dictate
Due to operating her poultry business from the gracious wonderland of a rural area in Polokwane, Selolo’s experience is informed by her daily working conditions. Wrestling with the direct impact of drastic heat patterns, coupled with heavy rains, sealed with even drier conditions. And so, the climate cycle constantly repeats. Her municipal water plan is tailored for individual households and offers no business or commercial packages about water provision options.
“Water management is a workable challenge if the environment offers alternative water provisions. The one practical solution was the installation of a windmill. At one point, it is bound to be dysfunctional or disrupted. When it does, it will cause the municipality to counter the situation with a water truck. Naturally, this is not a solution tailored for someone running a farming operation.” Selolo explains that it is imperative to have a secure water management system, just as important as it is to have a self-generation energy plan.
Innovative approach crucial for suitable water management models
What Tlhokwe has observed from the Vaalhaarts Irrigation Scheme speaks to the municipalities’ capacity to absorb the challenge caused by rapidly vanishing surface water. The water solution package’s ability to distribute water according to its availability, and allows a space of 15% of the dam capacity to be available for the rainwater. By doing so, they avoid runoff from overflowing which may lead to floods that may cause damage to nature, he mentions.
5 challenges posed by water shortages to farmers:
1. Lowered productivity
2. Diversion from a target-driven trajectory for the farming operation/business.
3. Dislodges the farmer’s operation/production from the immediate supply value chain.
4. No participation in farming activities incurred indirect costs for the farming operation/owner.
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