Briefing Paper

The Status of Agricultural Water Use, Access, and Productivity in the Limpopo Basin – Opportunities for Poverty Alleviation

“The Limpopo River Basin is home to 14,000,000 people, at least half of whom live in rural areas. Over ten million
South Africans live in the basin – nearly 25% of the national population. The remaining population live in Botswana – one million people, nearly 60% of the national population – Mozambique and Zimbabwe. While there are no major cities located on the river, several major urban areas in or adjacent to the basin impact water availability including quality. Major economic activities in the basin include agriculture, mining, forestry, and tourism, with the importance of each sector varying across the basin. Agriculture contributes over 22% of national GDP in Mozambique and Zimbabwe—the poorest basin countries, and
around 3% in Botswana and South Africa. Rain fed agriculture supports most the basin’s rural inhabitants.”