Service Contract No 2007 / 147-446 Strategic ... - Swaziland

RECOMMENDATION INVOLVED INSTITUTION /ACTORSIMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTSThe National Water Authority, Department of Water Affairs, River Basin Authorities, bulkwater users, and national authorities and the water management community responsible forwater resource planning, must develop a strategy to address shortcomings in national watermanagement and be reflected in a water management and use strategy to improve sectorwide irrigation efficiencies and strengthen RBA capacity..The Strategy:o Must address the shortfall in technical and financial capacity of RBAs to enable theRBAs to execute their mandated responsibilities;o Must be based on a basin-wide hydrological assessment of the water balance for theKomati, Mbuluzi, Usutu and Ngwavuma river basins;o Must propose measures to be taken up by irrigators to improve their overall water useefficiencies by moving from surface methods of irrigation to more efficient sprinkler,centre pivot and drip systems;Led by the National WaterAuthority, Department of WaterAffairs and River BasinAuthorities.Also involvement of relevantgovernment departments,sections and ministries and theirrigation service businesscommunity.The NAS SC and the EC should pursuethis issue with the commercial sugarsector (cane growers, millers, SWADEand SSA), KOBWA, NWA, DWA andRBAs and engage in a policy dialogueto promote the implementation of therecommendations.Funding can be sought frominternational bodies dealing with waterand transboundary management, suchas GEF, World Bank, UNDP and theEC.ooMust include recommendations on how to improve water governance at basin level;andMust include a sugar sector water footprint assessment (direct and operationalfootprint).B. LONG-TERM SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF SMALL-CANE GROWERSTo evaluate the management models for small cane growers currently promoted bydevelopers (e.g. Millers and SWADE) and the SSA. An evaluation would comprise a SWOTanalysis of current models, and comparing the models with other options (such as cooperatives).Particular consideration need be given to outsourcing the management of FAs,employing an outside private company to manage all the FAs in one development, such as inLUSIP and KDDP, and thus taking direct management responsibility away from the farmersthemselves.The evaluation process would involve intense public participation at all levels, andparticularly with the farmers themselves. It would require a supplementary educationprocess, to ensure that the different options are presented before informed decisions aremade.RDMU, in collaboration with theSSA.This recommendation falls directly in thescope of the NAS, and could beintegrated in it.It could be funded by the EC. Theinformation should be obtained througha public participation process at alllevels, with assistance from the SCGAand project developers (e.g. SWADE)for accessing small cane growers.RDMU (Strategic Environmental Assessment of the National Adaptation Strategy) - Page 116