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OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH ON RAINWATER HARVESTING AND CONSERVATION BY THE WATER RESEARCH COMMISSION

South Africa's dryland cropping potential is small due to a combination of low, erratic and inefficient rainfall and poor quality soils. Several management strategies have been used in the country to improve rainwater productivity in dryland cropping, among them deep trenching and rainwater harvesting, both of which are micro‐catchment methods. The in‐field rainwater harvesting and conservation (IRWH&C) technique falls within the category of on‐farm methods, such as contour ridges and runoff strips. This innovation is a result of investment in research and development over a period of more than 15 years. Throughout the early stages of research on IRWH&C, a concerted effort was made to gain social acceptance of IRWH&C in homestead gardens, as measured by the indicators of enhanced levels of mobilization, capacity building, empowerment and community participation. The success recorded with rainwater harvesting for crop production presents the opportunity of upscaling from household food gardens to communal croplands. Following many years of research investment in IRWH&C, innovations have been successfully developed and applied, capacity building carried out and training and extension manuals produced. Lessons for future action are to strengthen the links between research, extension and training. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.