Why private smallholder farmer-led irrigation development (PS-FLID) is a perfect project for the local economic development (LED) programme in South Africa

Private smallholder farmer-led irrigation development (PS-FLID) is already growing on its own in SSA. PS-FLID alleviates poverty, creates employment, and contributes to general economic development. PS-FLID is ignored by governments and donors, yet its performance suggests that economies where PS-FLID is developing could benefit from PS-FLID catalysis. PS-FLID fits very well with the definition of local economic development (LED). LED is used in South Africa as a development strategy. The LED programme in South Africa (LED in SA) has performed poorly and failed to alleviate poverty, create employment, and contribute to the general economic development. Therefore, LED in SA could benefit from adopting PS-FLID as a project because it already achieves some of its main objectives. In order to achieve this LED in SA must create an enabling environment where PS-FLID can thrive. This might include input subsidies, subsidies for acquiring irrigation equipment, and/or microfinance to alleviate the binding capital constraint in rural areas. Irrigation equipment for PS-FLID could also be imported duty free. We posit that the potential to catalyse PS-FLID growth exists through LED in SA so we recommend that LED in SA should adopt PS-FLID as one of its mainstream projects.