# Rhodes University says a study by a Rhodes University Economics and Economic History graduate, doctor Sandile Phakathi, has found that organising farmers into groups could help improve water security and farmers’ livelihoods. The study investigated smallholder irrigation schemes in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Irrigation schemes are key to managing water resources and in rural development, where poverty alleviation and food security can be achieved through farming. Although the government has invested in these schemes, they are not always of great benefit to their intended beneficiaries because they do not take farmers’ inputs into account.
Organising farmers into groups improves water security and livelihoods