Water stewardship experiences in the Western Cape

The document outlines a water stewardship project in the Western Cape's Breede catchment, involving nine volunteer stone-fruit farmers. It details the application of the AWS standard to manage physical, social, regulatory, and reputational water risks. Case studies demonstrate practical improvements in irrigation technology, fertiliser reduction, and infrastructure security. The guide also identifies broader catchment-level risks, such as urban sanitation and alien invasive plants, and suggests expanding water stewardship to other sectors like forestry and mining in South Africa.

• Agricultural producers in the Western Cape face significant water risks driven by a highly variable climate, climate change predictions of more extreme weather and less rainfall, and government priorities that favour urban and industrial water allocation over agriculture.
• Water risks for farmers in the Breede catchment are categorised into four main areas: direct physical risks (availability, reliability, and quality), social risks (including vandalism and theft of equipment), regulatory risks (changing allocations and licences), and reputational/market risks.
• The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) standard provides a 6-step roadmap (Commit, Gather & Understand, Plan, Implement, Evaluate, Communicate & Disclose) to help sites improve on-site water management and engage in collective catchment action.
• Case studies from the Breede catchment demonstrate that adopting specific technologies and practices can mitigate risks: Esperanto and Welgemeen farms moved to flow-based irrigation; Waboomskraal implemented soil moisture probes; and Romansrivier reduced fertiliser application by 25kg/ha to lower eutrophication risks.
• Social and reputational risks were addressed through infrastructure redesign and proactive communication; Denou farm moved irrigation taps to secure areas to prevent theft, while Lushof farm used a 7-point plan and media engagement to promote its irrigation efficiency.
• Beyond individual farms, the project identified three critical catchment-level risks in the upper Breede: water quality issues near rapidly growing urban areas like Prince Alfred Hamlet, a lack of shared stewardship information, and the presence of alien invasive plants which reduce available water.
• Alien invasive plants (IAPs) are a major threat to South African water security, estimated to consume approximately 3.3 billion cubic meters of water annually, which is nearly 7% of the country's river flow.

APA

Kristensen, A. (n.d.). Water stewardship experiences in the Western Cape. WWF South Africa. http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/water_stewardship_final.pdf

Chicago

Kristensen, Anette. Water stewardship experiences in the Western Cape. WWF South Africa, n.d. http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/water_stewardship_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kristensen |first1=Anette |title=Water stewardship experiences in the Western Cape |publisher=WWF South Africa |url=http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/water_stewardship_final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kristensenndwater, author = {Kristensen, Anette}, title = {{Water stewardship experiences in the Western Cape}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, url = {http://awsassets.wwf.org.za/downloads/water_stewardship_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }