The Current Water and Agriculture Context, Challenges, and Policies

Abstract

Surveys the current policy environment for addressing water and agricultural issues in a changing climate, which is shaped by economic development plans at the national and provincial levels, sector plans for water and agriculture (from long-term, multi-decade plans to medium-term, annual plans), and recent cross-cutting policy documents on climate change. Key challenges include (1) limited water storage, (2) problematic trends in surface water and groundwater use, (3) inflexible and uncertain water allocation institutions, and (4) low water-use efficiencies and productivity. Water and agricultural policy challenges arise as provincial development plans continue to focus on the role of infrastructure in water and food security. Recent policy documents highlight the increasing importance of improving irrigation efficiency, improvement of yields, and the socioeconomic distribution of development opportunities and benefits—including food security—but planning documents and budgets do not always comprehensively address the linkages between water management and productivity of the agriculture sector.