Lessons to be learned from two irrigation schemes

The Tyefu and Keiskamma irrigation schemes ‐ two small, initially centralised schemes ‐ were implemented in the same year in the then Ciskei, but are quite different from each other. A comparison of the development and context of each scheme provides insights into small capital‐intensive irrigation projects. Lessons that can be learned include the effect of politics and agricultural management on production, the role of the environment in managing such schemes, and the importance of considering changes in the relationship between management and local participants.

Notes

Anthropologist based in Grahamstown.

Fieldwork for this article was conducted in 1987 and 1990 at the Tyefu Irrigation Scheme and in 1992 at the Keiskamma Irrigation Scheme.