Sharing the water: institutional and organisational arrangements at Dzindi irrigation scheme in South Africa

The paper investigates institutions and organisations dealing with the sharing of water at Dzindi, a smallholder irrigation scheme in Limpopo Province where water supply is inadequate for full irrigation. Since its establishment, Dzindi has lived through several important political changes, which were accompanied by a gradual withdrawal of state authority. This has provided the community of plot holders at Dzindi with opportunities to internally modify the content and enforcement of existing watersharing rules. The paper documents the institutional and organisational changes that have occurred in the sharing of water among farmers and explores related perceptions among the different actors. Keywords: sharing water, institutional/organisational arrangements; irrigations schemeSouth African Journal of Agricultural Extension Vol. 34(1) 2005: 34-4