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Good governance is a prerequisite for better management of common-use resources. Awareness of institutions, inclusion of members in decision-making processes, stakeholder engagement and transparency are needed for good governance, which enhances the sustainable use of communal water resources. This paper therefore considers perceptions of farmers on irrigation scheme governance in its various dimensions. The study uses household data of 341 farmers drawn from four irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal. The results show that farmers who are satisfied with the informal institutions, being the rules and norms set locally to govern the scheme farmers, value the involvement of the tribal authorities in scheme management, including their contribution to rule enforcement. Age, agricultural training, water adequacy, participation in scheme activities, psychological capital and land tenure have a positive effect on perceptions of governance constructs. Farmers are satisfied with the informal institutions governing the schemes and therefore the study recommends the inclusion of informal institutions in policy formulation. Farmers should be empowered through training and be made aware of formal institutions applicable to their irrigation scheme, and stakeholder engagement in the schemes should be strengthened.

Participatory Irrigation Management is an important concept in the management of water resources. It fosters collective responsibility and rule compliance, the lack of which creates a weak environment for sustainable water use. This study adopted Principal Components Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling to evaluate the determinants of farmer’s participation in the management of four smallholder irrigations schemes in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The selected schemes, Ndumo, Makhathini Flats, Mooi River and Tugela Ferry, are representative of the general management and farmer activities in smallholder irrigation schemes in the country. The study considered household data from 341 irrigators and found that those who participated in regulation and control management activities of SIS also participate in information sharing activities. The results show that agricultural training, land tenure security, credit access and co-operative membership positively influence farmers’ participation in decision making. Additionally, irrigation water adequacy positively influences farmer’s participation in making financial contributions in the schemes. The study recommends that better land agreements that, would improve the security of tenure should be put in place to foster farmer participation. Farmers should receive agricultural and irrigation training to increase the likelihood of participating in the management of irrigation schemes.

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Although South Africa is one of the biggest economies in Africa, poverty and income inequality persist and a vast number of households lack access to water and sanitation services. Provincial governments have implemented the Provincial Development and Growth Strategy to improve standards. We evaluate its effects on selected development indicators. Using a generalization of the Difference-in-Differences method, we study the effects on four development indicators: food security, economic well-being, and water and sanitation security. We use secondary data from the General Household Survey, collected between 2002-2017 and conclude that i) the policies improve development indicators; ii) the effects are heterogeneous across racial and geographic distributions of households.Long-term economic stimulators, such as employment opportunities and education for vulnerable communities, are needed to improve household welfare across the provinces. Programs emanating from these development policies should be ongoing and continuously adapted to fulfill the specific needs of the local groups.