Be a steward of water!

I have been learning a lot about water stewardship, especially on dairy farms. On reflection, I have become convinced that all of us need to become better stewards of our freshwater resources as it a tricky commodity, always high in demand and low in supply. This is due to the ever-increasing water risk in South Africa, mainly because of the associated water scarcity and stress on this precious non-renewable resource¹. This is why we should all be stewards of water.

What does it mean to be a water steward?

Water stewardship is defined as being the use of freshwater that is “socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial, achieved through a stakeholder-inclusive process that involves site and catchment-based actions”¹.

So, where do you, as the farmer, start? First and foremost, by monitoring how much water is being used on your farm to produce a litre of milk. You can do this by using the water use efficiency tool (Read Blog: Better water use efficiency can result in better profitability). Secondly, by identifying your water risks – which are any water-related events that can have a negative impact on production². Thirdly, by identifying your farm’s water opportunities – where and how water can be used more efficiently? These could range from better irrigation scheduling to rainwater harvesting or something as simple as fixing leaks on the farm.