Transforming agriculture from a contributing factor of water degradation to a solution of water resource management. Key points were shared with a group of climate activists from different faith communities in southern Africa on 07 September 2022 through a webinar. Water management technologies are vast. For the purposes of this webinar, the emphasis was on water management practices on household farming. The changing climate continues to disrupt the hydrological behavior of our ecosystems. While our temperatures are on the rise, water cycles are changing. This can be seen in our unprecedented rainfall patterns, sea rises, dry spells, and droughts just mentioning a few. On top of that, over pumping of groundwater has also caused looping of the water tables worsening the water situation on the planet. Scientists have always pointed out agriculture and food production systems as major contributors to soil and water resource degradation. This report tends to outline some small scale technologies that would help to manage water resources in our farming systems and household livelihoods.

• Applying organic manure in the gardens: Manure do not only utilize the home and farm wastes but also when applied in the field, manure retains water in the field. For instance, One kilogram of manure can retain up to Five litres of water in the bed. In this way the farmer will not use more water on irrigation hence conserving the water.
• Constructing box ridges in the crop fields: Box ridges in the field will retain the rain water and allow it to infiltrate rather than to run-off. If more water infiltrates into the soil, the water table rises giving our plants more water to use in the run.
• Constructing dams to harvest the run-off/flowing water: We will notice that when it is raining, there is excess water everywhere. A few days after the rains have stopped, the water is scarce again. Constructing dams harvests the excess rain water and keeps it for later use when the rains are gone.
• Rain harvesting: Rain water from our roofs can be harvested and stored in tanks or dams. This water can be used later for agriculture and household activities.
• Pit farming: Planting in a ridge is not ideal all the time. Pit farming involves making pits in the field at 60 cm x 120 cm, apply manure and plant crops in it. Pits retain water longer than the raised ridge. Pits allow more infiltration than run-off. Pit farming is a drought resilient farming technology.
• Matching: Matching will not only utilize the crop residues and give you more manure in the field but also is another way of conserving water. A matched bed is protected from direct sunlight and reduces evaporation. In this way the farmer does not irrigate frequently because the bed is able to retain water for a longer time.
• Making sunken beds: Sunken beds, unlike raised beds, retain water in the garden. Water is held and made available to the plants for a longer time. In this way, the farmer uses a little water for irrigation hence conserving the water.
• Using non-chemical pest control methods: 80% of chemicals applied in the fields end up in the water systems. This does not only pollute the water resources but also poses a significant risk on aquatic life and any living thing dependent on it. Non-Chemical pest control techniques include; physical scouting, scaring away, trapping, using natural predators, organic [herbal] chemicals, early planting, mixed cropping, rotational cropping etc.
• Re-using water: On household level, the general rule is; use water more than once! and the final dump is the garden.
• Recycling: Every waste matter has a percentage of residual water in it. By recycling we are putting that water into another use, hence conserving the water.
• Planting more trees: Trees are essential to the hydrological cycle. Trees control run-off, allows infiltration, allows transpiration than evaporation, cleans the air and plays a significant role in the rain making process.

In short, we can GROW RAIN BY PLANTING TREES! The above are some cheap practices that can help in conserving water resources in our communities

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