An assessment of the department of water and sanitation’s delivery model of the current resource poor farmers funding policy

Rural Development has emerged as a national priority and access to water a key ingredient to unlock possibilities for satisfying livelihoods strategies for the rural communities and Historical Disadvantaged Individual (HDI) farmers who do not have enough resource. Without access to sufficient water for both domestic and productive uses in and around the household, the rural poor and most vulnerable are excluded from options that would allow them to diversify and secure their sources of livelihoods and thus reduce their poverty level. The policy and practice of agriculture in South Africa has changed over the past two decades to accommodate these resource poor farmers but the assistance is often not well-coordinated.. Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has been implementing Resource Poor Farmer (RFP) policy that aimed at assisting resource poor farmers with funds to purchase water infrastructure. DWS requested Agricultural Resource Council to undertake a study to review the RFP policy with intention to enhance accessibility of funds and relaxing some requirements needed during application process. The study results suggested improvement in the application process and alignment of support towards resource poor farmers.