JOINT VENTURES AS MECHANISMS FOR ACCELERATING EQUITABLE WATER ALLOCATION AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE LOWER SUNDAYS RIVER AND GREAT FISH RIVER CATCHMENTS.

The contribution of resource poor farmers to the South African agricultural economy is continually adversely impacted by a host of factors that limit their potential to positively participate in agricultural development. There have been numerous government policies and interventions targeted towards supporting emerging farmers to increase their capacity to contribute positively to the agricultural economy against the backdrop of historical inequities created by the apartheid system. The issue of water allocation reform (WAR) in irrigation schemes, as implemented by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), has been an example of an attempt to effect change in the way in which water for productive purposes is distributed amongst South African farmers. One other governance arrangement and support measure that has been attempted by the state is that of joint ventures (JVs). JVs can be defined as a strategic partnership in which the government facilitates the pairing of an emerging farmer with an established commercial farmer for capital and economic purposes, achieved through the medium of WAR. Empirical evidence reveals that JVs have experienced multiple challenges in achieving equity imperatives for emerging farmers in the South African agricultural context. This misalignment between institutional arrangements, mandate, and governance processes on the one hand, and the equity imperatives on the other hand, deserves urgent attention.