Zanele Ntshidi is an advocate for smart water use in the agricultural sector, which uses more than 60% of all available fresh water. She is a research manager at the National Research Foundation’s South African Environmental Observation Network, in charge of its Arid Lands Node, which conducts research on the hyper-arid to semi-arid parts of South Africa. The core focus is on the ecological effects of global warming, land use changes and water scarcity. She has spent most of her career advising farmers on how to produce more food with less water and minimise water wastage in the sector. The agricultural sector is most affected by water shortages, and water is the prime factor affecting food security. The Water Research Commission (WRC) mandated Zanele to quantify the water use of different crops and then design a model that can predict the crops’ water use in different growing regions. Zanele created an application that can help farmers forecast their plant water use. When farmers know when to irrigate and how much to apply to their crops, not only do they save water, but their yields also improve. This application was also taken to emerging farmers as part of community empowerment through the Giyani Local Scale Climate Resilience Programme. Zanele’s work has been published extensively. This work won the Most Impactful Research award at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research NRF awards. It was also recognised at the 20th International Conference on Agricultural Water Conservation and Irrigation Water Use Management in France, in 2018.
Educational Qualifications
- PhD: Environmental and Water Sciences, University of the Western Cape
- MSc: Environmental and Water Science, University of the Western Cape
- Honours: Environmental and Water Sciences, University of the Western Cape
Greatest achievements
This project had a positive societal effect and fostered environmental education.
The following publications emanated from my work:
- Ntshidi, Z., Dzikiti, S. and Mazvimavi, D., 2018. Water use dynamics of young and mature apple trees planted in South African orchards: a case study of the Golden Delicious and Cripps’ Pink cultivars. Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 378, pp.79-83.
- Ntshidi, Z., Dzikiti, S., Mazvimavi, D. and Mobe, N.T., 2021. Contribution of understorey vegetation to evapotranspiration partitioning in apple orchards under Mediterranean climatic conditions in South Africa. Agricultural Water Management, 245, p.106627.
- Ntshidi, Z., Dzikiti, S., Mobe, N.T., 2021. Agricultural Sector in South Africa 1225–1226. https://doi.org/10.32474/CIACR.2021.09.0003
- Ntshidi, Z., Dzikiti, S., Mazvimavi, D., Mobe, N.T. and Mkunyana, Y.P., 2021. Water use of selected cover crop species commonly grown in South African fruit orchards and their response to drought stress. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, 124, p.103070.
- Ntshidi, Z., Dzikiti, S., Mazvimavi, D. and Mobe, N.T., 2023. Effect of different irrigation systems on water use partitioning and plant water relations of apple trees growing on deep sandy soils in the Mediterranean climatic conditions, South Africa. Scientia Horticulturae, 317, p.112066.
- Dzikiti, S., Volschenk, T., Midgley, S.J.E., Lötze, E., Taylor, N.J., Gush, M.B., Ntshidi, Z., Zirebwa, S.F., Doko, Q., Schmeisser, M. and Jarmain, C., 2018. Estimating the water requirements of high-yielding and young apple orchards in the winter rainfall areas of South Africa using a dual source evapotranspiration model. Agricultural water management, 208, pp.152-162.
- Mobe, N.T., Dzikiti, S., Volschenk, T., Zirebwa, S.F., Ntshidi, Z., Midgley, S.J.E., Steyn, W.J., Lötze, E., Mpandeli, S. and Mazvimavi, D., 2020. Using sap flow data to assess variations in water use and water status of apple orchards of varying age groups in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Water SA, 46(2), pp.213-224.
- Mobe, N.T., Dzikiti, S., Zirebwa, S.F., Midgley, S.J.E., Von Loeper, W., Mazvimavi, D., Ntshidi, Z. and Jovanovic, N.Z., 2020. Estimating crop coefficients for apple orchards with varying canopy cover using measured data from twelve orchards in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Agricultural Water Management, 233, p.106103.
- Mobe, N.T., Dzikiti, S., Dube, T., Mazvimavi, D. and Ntshidi, Z., 2021. Modelling water utilization patterns in apple orchards with varying canopy sizes and different growth stages in semi-arid environments. Scientia Horticulturae, 283, p.110051.
- Midgley, S.J.E., Dzikiti, S., Volschenk, T., Zirebwa, F.S., Taylor, N.J., Gush, M.B., Lotze, E., Ntshidi, Z. and Mobe, N., 2018, August. Water productivity of high performing apple orchards in the winter rainfall area of South Africa. In International Horticultural Congress IHC2018: International Symposium on Cultivars, Rootstocks and Management Systems of 1281 (pp. 479-486).
What advice would you give to future generations?
The planet is a shared home of all humankind. Each day we are confronted with evidence of what can happen when we do not play our part in conserving our environment. Issues of climate change, emissions, pollution, land degradation and deforestation, these issues are urgent calls for action, we need to protect Earth. Be warriors for change and champions for a sustainable greener future. Strive for a world where your children and grandchildren can breathe clean air, drink pure water and wander through effervescent ecosystems, food secured.