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30. Wetlands, social welfare and environmental security

Full Title:

Wetlands-Based Livelihoods in the Limpopo Basin: Balancing Social Welfare and Environmental Security

Download project proposal [PDF 107KB]

For many years, the need to avert water shortages has resulted in farmers turning to wetlands for crop production. The wetlands are attractive units for their rich soils and year-round soil moisture, which is favorable to crops during both the dry season and drought years. But wetlands also have many functions that are beneficial to the environment and humans, and if used unwisely these benefits will be destroyed.

This study proposes to use trade-off analyses to study the mix of agricultural (crop and livestock) and fisheries water-use strategies in dambos and riverine swamps, and the trade-offs among them as a tool to guide planning for wetland use and conservation. It will develop guidelines and tools to assist decision making regarding the use of these wetlands to ensure that livelihoods continue to be supported in a way that does not compromise environmental security. The focus of the study is facilitating sustainable wetland management and development. The proposal is based on the basic hypothesis that wetlands can be managed in a sustainable manner, and that a balance between protection and agricultural production can be achieved, ensuring optimal use of wetlands. It will investigate wetlands in upper and lower catchments of the Limpopo basin.

The project addresses crop water productivity in wetlands, agriculture in upper catchments, aquatic ecosystems, and an integrated basin water management system. It will be implemented over 5 years. The expected research outputs are:

• An inventory of the different methods of wetland water management for agriculture and to support livelihoods.
• A framework for a gender-disaggregated social welfare indicator based on food security and income goals of farmers.
• Empirical knowledge of the potential of the natural-resources base to produce agricultural products and ecological goods and services.
• Analytical framework for analyzing trade-offs between food production/security and environmental security developed and applied; and a comparative analysis of social welfare benefits accruing from various options for wetland water use for agriculture, and the trade-offs among them, including trade-offs among different intensities of each use.
• Knowledge of technical management inputs to attain different levels of crop production in wetlands and the associated trade-offs.
• Recommendations and guidelines, based on an analysis of trade-offs, for allocating uses to dambos and riverine swamps for extension agents; traditional decision makers, and wetland users; and policy recommendations on agricultural wetland-use regulations.
• Enhanced capacity of wetland users, decision makers (both government officials and traditional decision makers), researchers and other stakeholders.