Water use efficiency and carbon sequestration potential of indigenous crops

Abstract

South and sub-Saharan Africa, in general, are water-scarce and should use the limited available water efficiently. Collaborative thinking is central to mitigating climate change and improving water use efficiency in agriculture by adopting strategies that enhance long-term storage of carbon in the soil, and cultivating crops and varieties that utilise water efficiently. Most smallholder farmers in South Africa stay in regions that have limited water availability and marginal soil fertility to achieve meaningful agricultural productivity. This project sought to explore ways of using crops that are readily available to local farmers to simultaneously cope with unfavourable water supply while improving soil fertility and mitigating climate change.

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