Water challenges facing food producers in rural South Africa
What do you think happens when you run out of water and you are not connected to any central water supply?
The South African Rural Context
Smallholder farmers in Southern Africa face multifaceted challenges, including erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, soil degradation, and limited access to irrigation and extension services. These challenges are exacerbated by climate change, which is altering precipitation patterns and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. In regions like South Africa’s Eastern Cape, smallholders rely heavily on rain-fed agriculture, making them particularly vulnerable to water scarcity. Economic depression, widespread unemployment and lack of access to markets have also made it very difficult for small holder farmers to succeed in generating enough income to create new jobs.
Risks to food producers brought by climate and ecological collapse are starting to become undeniable Increasing extreme weather events compound land degredation in areas where the bush and forests have been cleared for grazing or agriculture. In many rural areas there are water mafias who actively break water infrastructure extorting money for their tanker services from rural people who struggle to afford basic needs. The South African government have failed to address the provision of water infrastructure in many rural parts of the country despite the South African Constitutional requirement partly because of organised crime and corruption that has plagued the administration since indepence in 1994.
The legacy of Apartheid and adoption of neoliberal economic policy without soocioeconomic justic has left, socioeconomic barriers—such as insecure land tenure, limited financial resources, and low access to markets and climate information—hinder adaptive capacity. Studies show that female farmers often face additional constraints in accessing natural resources and institutional support, further deepening inequities.
We ask how can South African people restore ecosystem services and transform the lives of the people producing food? The loans from the banks do not exist for agroecology, only for intensive mechanised agribusiness. The impact of poisonous fossil fuel based agriculture on people and the environment, including correlations between herbicides, pesticides and cancer are becoming harder to ignore. South Africa needs to find better ways of growing food that don't rely so heavily on exploitation of people and the environment.
Risks to Water Security and Biodiversity
A regular activity at KJARC has been digging out invasive plants species and allowing the indigenous plants to come back on their own. Removing lantana, wattle and other super weeds has resulted in an abundance of South African herbs and fynbos. The removal has been done carefully and slowly to avoid exposing soil and causing erosion, planting local flowing plant species including wilde dagga, lilies and aloe has also brought many more sunbirds and beautiful butterflies.
One of the most pressing risks to water security in Southern Africa is the spread of invasive alien species (IAS). According to the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), invasive plants such as Acacia mearnsii (black wattle), Eucalyptus spp., and Lantana camara consume large quantities of water, reduce streamflow, and degrade native ecosystems. These species exacerbate water scarcity, particularly in already arid and semi-arid regions.
The Alien Species Risk Analysis Review Panel (ASRARP) under SANBI evaluates and prioritizes invasive species for management based on their ecological and hydrological impacts. Removing these species can restore up to 10–15% of lost water resources in affected catchments, making it a critical strategy for improving water availability for agriculture and communities.
What is the relationship between deforestation and water scarcity? Introducing the Biotic Pump Theory and Forest Restoration
The Biotic Pump Theory, promoted by scientists like Anastassia Makarieva, posits that intact forests generate atmospheric pressure gradients that draw moisture inland from oceans, effectively "pumping" rainfall into continental interiors. This challenges traditional views of rainfall as solely driven by physical climate systems.
Restoring coastal and inland forests can therefore reignite natural rainfall patterns, particularly in regions like Southern Africa experiencing declining precipitation. Organizations like American Forests and Mongabay have highlighted this theory as a transformative framework for reforestation.
Opportunities for Water Cycle Restoration
Restoring the water cycle presents significant opportunities for enhancing agricultural resilience. Nature-based solutions (NbS)—such as reforestation, wetland rehabilitation, and regenerative agriculture—can improve infiltration, groundwater recharge, and microclimate regulation. These approaches align with global movements like Water Stories, which document grassroots efforts to heal degraded landscapes through holistic water management.
By integrating traditional knowledge with scientific innovation, smallholder farmers can become stewards of biological sponges—landscapes that absorb, retain, and slowly release water, reducing runoff and drought vulnerability.
Applying Nature-Based Solutions and Landscape Architecture in a Rural African Context
The work of Kongjian Yu, the renowned Chinese landscape architect and founder of Turenscape, offers profound inspiration for KJARC. Yu championed the "Sponge City" concept—a nature-based ecological infrastructure that mimics natural water cycles by retaining, slowing, and filtering water through green spaces, wetlands, and permeable surfaces.
His philosophy emphasized that "the landscape architect’s job is to heal the land", creating biological sponges in urban and rural landscapes. Over 30 Chinese cities now implement Sponge City principles, reducing flood risk and enhancing water security.
Tragically, Kongjian Yu passed away in a light aircraft accident in Brazil in 2025, but his legacy lives on. KJARC honors this legacy by applying his principles to rural agroecological systems—designing farm landscapes that absorb rainfall, reduce erosion, and support biodiversity.
Another source of inspiration is the Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative in Africa which shares conceptual and practical parallels with China’s Green Wall project, which has restored over 30 million hectares of degraded land. Recent research highlights growing Africa-China cooperation in ecological restoration, including technology transfer, remote sensing for land monitoring, and data exchange on drought-resistant species.
Adapting Chinese dryland farming techniques and sand-fixation technologies.
Participating in joint research on drought-resilient agroecosystems.
Utilizing satellite data and AI-driven models for early warning and land-use planning.
Collaboration with SANBI offers KJARC a strategic pathway to address water-inefficient invasive species. KJARC would like to see commitments from the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) to scale up invasive species clearing through programs like the Working for Water initiative, which also creates jobs in rural communities.
What can we do to improve the water cycle?
Effective strategies for improving the water cycle include:
Water harvesting techniques (e.g., contour bunds, swales, rooftop collection), which have been shown to reduce crop failure by 40% during droughts.
Conservation agriculture, including minimum tillage and residue retention, which improves soil moisture retention by 18–38%.
Agroforestry and intercropping, which enhance biodiversity and microclimatic stability.
Drought-tolerant crop varieties, which can yield 83–137% more under severe stress.
The integration of multiple climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices leads to 33% higher yields during below-average rainfall seasons, demonstrating the power of synergistic approaches.
- Partnering with SANBI, local research institutions and international organisations to build to the body of observable data.
- Promoting awareness and education about water restoration strategies and regenerative agroecology
- Mapping invasive species on and around smallholder farms.
- Piloting community-led eradication and restoration projects.
- Monitoring biodiverisy indicators and hydrological recovery post-clearing
At KJARC we believe that by working together people can improve water security, restore native biodiversity and enhance ecosystem services. Let's imagine together a better future for the children of the continent of Africa, one where we can enjoy the shade and protection of our floral heritage again.