Climate resilience for small holders
The lower Lumane Basin in the South of Mozambique
This paper will present a short description of the influence of climate change on the catchment area of the Rio Lumane. It will elaborate on how the small holders can become more resilient to local climate change through the development of an integrated water management plan; drainage, small scale irrigation, small credit scheme and marketing of agricultural products . The information and views expressed in this paper were collected in 2013/2014through intensive field research, interviews with local people, consulting Google Earth and the experience of the Grupo de Facilitadores de Lumane (experts that are committed to this plan) with the lower Limpopo basin and with the Lumane basin in Gaza Province.
Figure1. Baixo Limpopo. with Lumane basin on the right bank (2012)
The physics
Run-off. The Rio Lumane is the last tributary of the Rio Limpopo catchment area before the river Limpopo discharges into the sea. The distance (straight line) between the mouth of the Rio Lumane and that of the Rio Limpopo into the sea is 14 kilometres. The Lumane catchment area is around 100,000 hectares of which 5,000 hectares are lowlands including a lake of 700-800 hectares (Lagoa Pave) where the Rio Lumane is emerging from. The discharge of the Rio Lumane is estimated to vary between 6-20 m3/sec. The water is of very good quality, all year round and is excellent for irrigation. The average rainfall is 800 mm and statistics (from 1978 onwards) suggest a once in 6 year inundation for the Limpopo basin and thus for the Lumane basin. The lower Lumane basin might even be more often inundated than the Limpopo valley because of heavy local rainfall.
Soils. The hilly catchment is composed of two soils: (1) red sandy soils (70,000 ha) which are used for low external farming and wood fuel collection and (2) the white sandy soils (newly formed dunes, estimated 25,000 ha) which are used for grazing and fuel wood collection. This white soil is not suitable for agriculture due to a combination of low water retention capacity and low fertility. The communities of the Lumane are only located on the red soils. Most of the rain falls in the period December till March.
Salt. During the dry season the saline water from the Rio Limpopo intrudes the Rio Lumane and enters the river for 6 kilometres (straight line) as far as the bridge over the Lumane. The sluice gate at the mouth of the Rio Lumane (constructed in 1998) is supposed to prevent this salt intrusion but the gates were destroyed during the exceptional 2000 flood and have not been repaired since.
Ecosystems. The Rio Lumane is the very habitat of crocodile’s, hippos, monkeys and snakes. Few birds are noticed in the Lumane basin. The hippos and crocodiles have been seen in the river as far as the Lagoa Pave. However, the fish population in Lagoa Pave is quite modest which might explain the low presence of crocodiles in the Lake. Hippos are found at the origin of the Rio Lumane because of availability of fodder (water plants).
The livelihood
There are living an estimated 17.000 families in the hilly catchment area of the Lower Lumane. In the past (1960-1980) there used to be a settlement near Baixa Embatse (Upper Lumane) but the rapid decline of the water management system after independence of this particular peat lowland forced people to leave the area because the surrounding white infertile soils could not support a livelihood.Only two families are currently farming at a somewhat higher spot; bananas, tomatoes, cabbage, onions and arachide.
As much as 80% of the men above the age of 20 have left the area to find work elsewhere; South Africa, Maputo and Xai-Xai. The families have real concerns about their future because of this migration phenomena of their sons (and daughters). It makes it understandable that most families are female headed.
Figure 2. Overview picture of the Lower Lumane Basin
The families live from low producing rainfed farming, charcoal production and livestock grazing in the Limpopo basin but most of the cash income is provided from remittances of their fathers and sons in South Africa. This has prevented the area from being very poor.
The Lumane population through their leaders has requested the provincial authorities since the 1908’s to assist in rehabilitating their water management system. Some initial work has been done by the Lower Limpopo water authority ( Regadio de Baixa Limpopo, RBL) but these interventions do not allow permanent all year farming and on-farm development of small holders. Inundations by heavy rains continue destroying the crops.
Climate Change
No specific publications could be found on the effects of climate change for this particular area. There are also no long term water discharge data of the Rio Lumane available. However, a recent M.Sc. thesis of the University of Delft (A. de Kloe, August 2014) provides indicative results of an hydrological model for the Lumane basin.
There are a number of effects that are related to climate change such as
Changing rainfall patterns; more and more severe droughts and heavy rains. This affects all the families in the area because they are mainly farming in the hills, on the exhausted red sandy soils. The water retention capacity of this soil type is very low, only a few percent. Consequently, the increasing risks of crop failure (more droughts) will reduce the food security of the families even more. This will increase families’ dependent on remittances and might stimulate more men and women to look for work elsewhere.
Heavy rains however will not have any significant effect on the hill agriculture but will do so on the scarce agriculture in the basin of the Lumane. It will increase the inundation of the infiltration area along the foot of the hills where peat soils are found. It is estimated that the seize of these peat soils is 1/3 of the lower basin, close to 1000 hectares. The present natural drainage capacity is by far not enough to even cope with the present rains. The solution is a more intensive drainage system for these peat soils so that any heavy rainfall (140-160 mm) will be drained within 3 days. These 3 days allow most crops to survive from (partially) waterlogging.
Inundations
The inundations from the Rio Limpopo are expected to happen more often. The frequency of inundations might increase from once every 6 years to once every 4 years. As the Limpopo floods do inundate also the Lower Lumane basin up till the Lagoa Pave, the water of the inundation is supposed to stay there for weeks, if not months because of the poor natural drainage capacity. People are aware of this situation and hardly any farming is noticed during that rainy season, even not on the somewhat higher locations in the basin. The Lumanean families just know this.
Solutions, proposed interventions.
The Lumane basin can be protected rather easily be constructing a dike along both sites of the Rio Lumane. The protected areas is divided into a number of separate and independent polders to limit the damage from a dike collapse. Each polder is equipped with sluice gates, a pumping station, an intensive structure of drainage ditches and small field control gates. This polder structure will limit the damage from any collapse of the dike system. A small scale irrigation programme will benefit from the good quality drainage water.
Figure 3. Water management plan Lower Lumane basin
Salt intrusion
The low discharge from the Rio Limpopo during dry season (June-November) provokes salt intrusion. The salt intrusion downstream the Rio Lumane (between the mouth and the bridge) will happen more often and the salt content might be higher. The rationale for a proper water management of the Rio Lumane including control over the sluice gates and water discharge is therefore of utmost importance. At present the Rio Lumane is not yet managed nor administrated.
Innovative approach
The proposed integrated water management interventions are based on a well-known and proven technology. Innovative is the institutional setting of the entire development plan in participation with the beneficiary group, the families/small holders of the Lumane. It is combination of three business cases.
The first business case is the Empresa Hidro Agricola de Lumane that will be registered as a private company in charge of the construction and maintenance of water management. The RBL will become shareholder with a 10-15% share based on their availability of earth moving equipment (bulldozers, excavators) against market prices. The rest of the finances ( estimated at $ 4 million) will be covered by international donations and private investments. The Empresa will be established by the Grupo de Facilitadores that has ample and practical experience with the region, the development of the lowlands in the Limpopo and the Lumane basin. Other shareholders will be looked for. The small holders have a consultative status in de Board and could become a shareholder. The construction costs have to be covered partly by a grant (PPP partnership) to allow an annual, agreed but high land fee of max. $200 per hectare.
The second business model is the micro credit programme for the Lumane. The Fundo de Desenvolvimento da Mulher (Women’s Development Fund, FDM) will manage this micro credit programme. The FDM is already working with communities in the Lumane area, is familiar with community development and micro credits for women. The micro credit programme needs a capital investment of some $ 500,000 over a period of 3-4 years. The micro loans will be charged with anannual 16% interest rate. A group of women will support individual credit applications.
The third business model is the value chain model for the local agricultural surplus production through an out-growers model. The Italian company Sammartini (farming a 1000 ha of maize located close to the Lower Lumane basin)has indicated to provide the services; seed, fertiliser, extension and purchasing. Amain element of the investment will be a cold and dry storage facility in combination with electricity and drinking water facilities. This business case will be developed over time from year two/three onwards when substantial production volumes are expected.But SME’s in agribusiness will be supported with niche credits to increase competitiveness with large companies.
A crucial element of the Lumane development plan is the allocation of the land and water. The Empresa will lease the land and water from RBL for a period of 30 years or longer andlease the land and water to the Lumane small holders. The Empresa will not own land. The criteria for leasing will be based on a participatory process with the communities that are associated with a particular polder (water unit). The small holders will be presented directly and through their administrative and traditional leaders. It is anticipated that the pace of allocation will be determined by the pace of agreement on the criteria. A dispute commission will be part of the institutional land leasing structure. The Empresa will implement the land and water allocation according to the agreed criteria. The concept of leasing to the local population has been discussed with and supported by the leaders of the Lumane and RBL.
Summary
The present livelihood of the Lumane families is based on rainfed agriculture, some livestock and remittances from South Africa. The food security situation of the families has decreased over the past 30 years. Climate change will weaken their present foodsecurity and livelihood even more. Production from rainfed agriculture will be weakened and farming on the scarce higher locations in the Lumane basin will be more risky, subject to more and longer inundations. However, resilience to climate change is possible through an innovative public private development model: a private construction and maintenance company in combination with a long term leasing contract with RBL, a small credit programme, a land and water leasing programme for the Lumanean small holders and a market development company. It is an innovative institutional participatory approach; a private local water board (with RBL as minority shareholder), a micro agricultural credit scheme, a long term releasing contracts for small holders and a value chain company. The proposed development plan would be the first, new and substantial investment in small holders agriculture in the Baixo Limpopo since many years. It would provide (a part of) the families in the Lumane with a new perspective and new opportunities.
A full business plan can be submitted at request.
Grupo de Facilitadores de Lumane:
Leovigildo Ferrão, Paul Hassing and David Zimba
September 2014
Email:
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