Smallholder farmers’ choice of irrigation systems: Empirical evidence from Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa and its implications

Abstract

Due to the rising demand for agricultural use and intensive crop management on existing croplands to meet the needs of a growing global population, water scarcity in agriculture is becoming increasingly important. Given the recurrent drought in South Africa and the rest of Africa, irrigation has a lot of potential to boost crop production and productivity. The objective of this study was to look at the factors that influence smallholder farmers' choice of irrigation systems. Multivariate probit (MVP) was used to analyze the determinants of choice of irrigation systems using primary data collected from 406 farmers in four irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal. To this end, the study integrates different socioeconomic, institutional, and production factors in the empirical analysis. Bucket, flood, and sprinkler irrigation are the three common irrigation types found in and around the four irrigation schemes. The empirical findings show the importance of socioeconomic (such as age, household size, farmer occupation, and farming experience), technical, and biophysical factors when smallholders choose irrigation systems. These factors should be considered when developing policies and initiatives aimed at supporting irrigation systems. Such policies/programs should be designed such that they promote and support the uses of all irrigation systems highlighted in this study as they were found not to be mutually exclusive.