Farmer-led institutional innovations have been touted as the key to improving the management of water resources in irrigation schemes. However, little is known about them in South Africa. This study documents institutional innovations by 28 farmer groups located on four irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces, South Africa. Induced institutional innovation theory, Ostrom’s eight design principles, and thematic analysis of interview transcripts were used to analyse the data. The study results show that 21 groups engaged in institutional innovations, indicating high levels of farmer-led innovative activity among these irrigators. Examples of innovations include, among others, the introduction of a secret voting system to improve participation of marginalised people in decision-making processes, designing daily rotation rosters to reduce conflicts, as well as using an attendance register for participation in group activities, and rewarding members according to their participation levels. The majority of these innovations were designed to improve the graduated sanction mechanism (22.2%), enhancing the penalty system for non-compliance; improving collective action arrangements (27.8%); monitoring attendance of group meetings (18.5%); democratising decision making; and ensuring equitable water distribution. These innovations focused mainly on addressing challenges, rather than exploiting opportunities, and were mostly incremental (94%), involving an adjustment or reinterpretation of rules and regulations. Radical institutional innovations constituted only 6%. The innovative groups were smaller in size and experienced less conflict than the non-innovative groups. Both groups had low levels of education and were mostly dominated by female farmers. The study recommends that the government should build on the agency of the irrigators to improve the effectiveness and legitimacy of institutional arrangements in irrigation schemes. The study’s findings suggest that small groups should be actively promoted, while tailored training should be offered based on the groups’ specific needs, to improve institutional innovations in the smallholder irrigation sector in South Africa.

以农民为主导的体制创新被吹捧为改善灌溉计划中水资源管理的关键。但是，在南非对其知之甚少。这项研究记录了位于南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省和东开普省的四个灌溉计划中的28个农民团体的制度创新。引入制度创新理论，Ostrom的八项设计原则以及访谈笔录的主题分析来分析数据。研究结果表明，有21个团体参与了制度创新，表明这些灌溉者中农民主导的创新活动水平很高。创新的例子包括，除其他外，引入秘密投票系统，以提高边缘化人群对决策过程的参与，设计每日轮换名册以减少冲突，并使用出勤登记册参加小组活动，并根据成员的参与程度对成员进行奖励。这些创新中的大多数旨在改善分级制裁机制（22.2％），增强对违规行为的处罚制度；改善集体行动安排（27.8％）；监察小组会议的出席率（18.5％）；使决策民主化；并确保公平的水分配。这些创新主要侧重于应对挑战，而不是抓住机遇，而且大多是渐进式的（94％），涉及对规则和条例的调整或重新解释。激进的机构创新仅占6％。与非创新团体相比，创新团体规模较小，冲突较少。这两个群体的教育水平都较低，并且大多数由女性农民主导。该研究建议，政府应建立在灌溉机构之上，以提高灌溉计划中机构安排的有效性和合法性。该研究结果表明，应积极促进小群体的发展，同时应根据群体的具体需求提供有针对性的培训，以改善南非小农灌溉部门的体制创新。该研究建议，政府应建立在灌溉机构之上，以提高灌溉计划中机构安排的有效性和合法性。该研究结果表明，应积极促进小群体的发展，同时应根据群体的具体需求提供有针对性的培训，以改善南非小农灌溉部门的体制创新。该研究建议，政府应建立在灌溉机构之上，以提高灌溉计划中机构安排的有效性和合法性。该研究结果表明，应积极促进小群体的发展，同时应根据群体的具体需求提供有针对性的培训，以改善南非小农灌溉部门的体制创新。