Water Quality and Agricultural Water Use in South Africa

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Water Quality and Agricultural Water Use in South
Africa
Agricultural Research Council (ARC) 21 June
2006 Mr. Reckson Mulidzi Mr. Thabiso Mudau
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Purpose of the presentation

• To share experiences with the Honorable Members
  regarding our involvement in water quality in
  South Africa
• To receive inputs from Honorable Members and
  other stakeholders towards improved water quality
  in South Africa

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Scope of the presentation

• What the ARC is
• What guides our business
• Vision and mission
• Core business divisions
• Public Support Services (PSS)
• Current research activities related to water
  quality
• Challenges and recommendations
• Business partners

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What the ARC is

• Public entity listed in Schedule 3a of the Public
  Finance Management Act (Act 1 of 1999)
• Financed through the Parliamentary Grant, Dept.
  of Science and Technology and Dept. of
  Agriculture Special Projects
• It renders a multidisciplinary agricultural
  service addressing national agricultural
  priorities
• It provides a strong scientific base and broadly
  distributed technology transfer capacity

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What the ARC is

• Its mandate is defined by the ARC Act (Act 86 0f
  1990)
• Reporting lines
• Minister of Agriculture (quarterly and annually)
• Presentation of Strategic Plan and Annual
  Results to the Agriculture and Land Affairs
  Portfolio Committee
• KPI Reporting to the DST
• Presentations done on request to the NCOP Select
  Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs

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What guides our business

• The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
• The State of the Nation Address (SONA)
• National Research and Development Strategy
• The ARC Act (Act 86 of 1990)
• Strategic Plan for the Department of Agriculture,
  and
• Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South
  Africa (ASGI-SA)
• Other legislation and policies

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Vision
To be a nationally and internationally
recognized centre of excellence in agricultural
science and innovation
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Mission

• To promote the agriculture and related sectors
  through research, technology development and
  technology transfer in order to
• Enhance the natural resource base and environment
• Sustain a competitive agricultural economy
• Provide new economic opportunities
• Ensure high quality and safe food
• Support an informed society and
• Encourage the national growth and development of
  South Africa

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Core business divisions

• Horticulture
• Grains and Industrial Crops
• Livestock
• Public Support Services
• Sustainable Rural Livelihoods
• Business Development International Relations
• Human Resources and Administration
• Finance Services

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Public Support Services (PSS)

• Three institutes Agricultural Engineering (IAE),
  Plant Protection (PPRI), and Soil, Climate and
  Water (ISCW)
• Promote the sustainable management and use of
  natural resources through research and technology
  development
• Increase the productive efficiency of
  agro-ecosystems
• One of the focus areas is on Water quality and
  agricultural water use.

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Current research activities related to water
quality

• Assessment of the effect of different water
  qualities on crop production constraints and
  types of crops
• The effect of wetland systems and mining effluent
  water use on irrigated agriculture
• Water quality analysis for agricultural use in
  rural areas of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal,
  and Western Cape provinces (250 samples from
  boreholes used for both domestic and agricultural
  production analyzed in 2005 for the DoA

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Current research activities related to water
quality (cont.)

• Assessment of water quality and land degradation
  in wetland areas (working group to focus on the
  conservation of wetlands)
• Impact of water quality on irrigation schemes
  (Limpopo province)
• Water quality analysis for SADC countries
• (Zambia, Lesotho, and Botswana)
• Monitoring the effect of water quality on soil /
  land productivity

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Current research activities related to water
quality (cont.)

• South Africa is a water scarce country
• Wastewater re-use for agricultural production is
  very important
• ARC Infruitec is running a project on the use of
  treated winery wastewater for cash crop and vines
  irrigation
• Portfolio Committee on Agriculture Land Affairs
  /NCOP Select Committee on Land and Environmental
  Affairs visited this project in 2005
• Purpose of the project is to address the issue of
  food security to farm workers

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Challenges

• Soil salinity
• The unsustainable management and utilization of
  wetlands contribute to loss in natural
  biodiversity with harmful consequences for
  peoples livelihoods
• Insufficient knowledge or lack of it
• Discharges of mine water into the river system

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Recommendations

• Research in water quality to establish the
  extent of degradation in our river systems,
  wetlands and irrigation schemes
• Soil-crop-water quality studies with emphasis on
  developing monitoring tools/technologies and
  assessing impacts of soil erosion, mining and
  water from industries
• Establishment of a comprehensive country wide
  water quality monitoring network
• Other relevant studies commissioned by our line
  departments

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Our business partners

• National Government Departments
• Provincial Government Departments
• Farmers and Farmer Associations
• Private Sector
• Universities and Technikons
• Other Science Councils

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Institute for Tropical Subtropical Crops
Institute for Industrial Crops
Institute for Soil, Climate Water Plant
Protection Research Institute Vegetable
Ornamental Plant Institute Range Forage
Institute Onderstepoort Veterinary
Institute Animal Nutrition Animal Products
Institute Animal Improvement Institute Agricultura
l Engineering Institute
ARC-Animal Nutrition Products Institute
Grain Crops Institute
Small Grain Institute
Infruitec-Nietvoorbij
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Agricultural Research Council buildings and
Research Farms
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Thank you!!
www.arc.agric.za