Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
GOVERNMENT has identified 106 dams with the potential to irrigate about 78 159 hectares of land, as part of a broader plan to turn these water bodies into centres of agricultural production, value addition, employment creation and rural industrialisation.
To meet its ambitious target of placing 496 000 hectares under irrigation by 2030, Zimbabwe will require an estimated US$1,66 billion to develop the remaining 237 227 hectares under the “A Dam is an Economy” strategy.
In a statement, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said Government is speeding up irrigation development as part of efforts to drive rural transformation.
“The President has directed that every dam must become an economy. The concept recognises that a dam must exist as an epicentre and driver of heightened agricultural production, new investment, expanded employment creation and a source of prosperity. It is in this context that the President hosted the ‘Accelerated Irrigation Development
Conference’ in Harare on 4 July 2024,” said Dr Masuka.
Zimbabwe has already recorded significant progress in expanding irrigation. The area under irrigation has increased from 171 000 hectares in 2020 to 258 773 hectares by May 2026, representing a 51 percent rise — the fastest growth since independence, at an average of 17 500 hectares per year.
This expansion drive is expected to help shield agriculture from climate shocks, while also boosting food production, creating jobs and supporting rural industrialisation.
Under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030, Government plans to grow irrigated land from the current 258 773 hectares to 496 000 hectares by 2030, meaning an additional 237 227 hectares must be developed within the next four years.
To support this, 106 dams across the country have been identified as having the capacity to anchor irrigation development and wider economic activities under the “A Dam is an Economy” concept.
Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Professor Obert Jiri, said the programme marks a shift towards fully utilising Zimbabwe’s water resources to build resilience against climate change and recurring droughts.
“Converting our water bodies into irrigable areas and this is the journey that is starting this week as we go around the provinces which are endowed with water resources. We have identified these dams and the acreages that they command and that they can irrigate and roughly for every hectare of irrigation that we want to develop, the average cost is US$7 000,” said Prof Jiri.
Based on these estimates, developing the remaining 237 227 hectares will cost around US$1,66 billion.
Prof Jiri said Government has already started mobilising funding for the programme.
“So far we have received in excess of 71 million euros from one facility and we are already working on another US$100 million facility for another contractor as well,” he said.
He added that the initial phase will prioritise fast-tracking irrigation projects by allocating land to farmers who have already demonstrated their capacity to produce.
“We are looking at having those successful farmers who require excess land, who require additional land to benefit under this model because these farmers have already proven that they are successful and they are fully utilising their current land holdings,” he said.
Beyond increasing production, Government expects the programme to create jobs across agricultural value chains.
“Certainly, in terms of the creation of jobs, it is massive.
Agriculture is an industry and any land that is opened up for irrigation is a direct contributor to the job market,” said Prof Jiri.
He said the long-term goal is to ensure that value addition and processing take place close to production areas, rather than far from them.
“We do not want raw materials to be transported from the production areas to a town. Rather, we would want semi-value addition, we would want value addition, we would want processing and some beneficiation to be done at the centres of production.”
As Zimbabwe works towards its 2030 irrigation target, the dam-centred development model is expected to play a key role in improving food security, strengthening climate resilience and driving inclusive economic growth.
