adminMORE than 100 dysfunctional irrigation schemes in Manicaland have applied for funding under the recently launched Food and Agriculture Organisation Smallholder Irrigation Support Programme (FAO-SIP).
The programme is seeks to rehabilitate irrigation schemes in communal and old resettlements in Manicaland and Matabeleland provinces following the injection of six million euros by the European Union.
The project has two components funded to the tune of three million euros each, namely rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure and capacity building, market linkages and agro-processing/value addition and beneficiation.
As part of capacity building, the programme involves training of key stakeholders, farmers and irrigation management committees so that they are able to manage their schemes viably.
The programme is expected to end in November 2017.
“Applications have been received and the technical committee is seized with the appraisals and selection of 10 schemes set to benefit under the funding. We expect to be through with the identification end of this month.
“We are vetting which irrigation projects, if rehabilitated, can be viable and have an impact on the people,” said a source who sits in the technical committee.
The technical committee comprises officials from Ministry of Agriculture, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and Ministry of Local Government.
The Manica Post understands that the programme will help eradicate challenges facing most irrigation schemes in region five, which covers the lower Sabi Valley.
Most irrigation schemes had mostly pumping challenges.
“We expect funding by end of year and most communal and old resettlement irrigation schemes in the drier districts of Chipinge, Buhera and Chimanimani, which are not dependent on liquid fuels, are expected to qualify under this scheme.
“Most of these schemes had gone for more than a decade without being maintained.
“The major requirement is pumping,” said the source.
Manicaland, famous for its rich soils and robust farming, was also a recent beneficiary of a $2 million kitty for the rehabilitation and expansion of Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme in Nyanga, by the Government of Japan.
Nyanyadzi, Nenhohwe and Bonde irrigation schemes in Chimanimani are also on the mend following the acquisition of irrigation pumps worth about $800 000 by Government.
The demise of these once highly productive schemes had reduced thousands of plot holders, who were unable to effectively till the land owing to acute shortage of water, to mere beggars.
The rehabilitation has had an immediate impact on the plot holders.
Agriculture Minister Dr Joseph Made hailed the bail-out by EU as “timely”, adding that it will enable the country to attain its agricultural goal of improving food and nutritional security at household level.
Dr Made said the funding by the EU bloc fits squarely in Zanu-PF Government’s thrust, as enshrined in its economic blueprint – the ZimAsset – to achieve food security and surplus to feed downstream industries.
Zimbabwe has capacity to irrigate 2 244 800 hectares.
Despite the existing enormous irrigation development potential in the country, only about 206 000ha is equipped, of which 150 000ha is currently irrigating.
About 154 500ha fall in the commercial sub-sector whilst 51 500ha fall in the communal sub-sector.
The communal irrigation sector with a total equipped area of approximately 10 000ha is the most affected and vulnerable having less than 65 percent of the schemes fully functional.
Zimbabwe is working hand-in-glove with irrigation experts from Israel, Brazil, India, China, Austria, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Belarus, Egypt, Iran and Italy.
Online Reporter