adminSamuel Kadungure Farming Matters
POVERTY is one major cause of food insecurity in Zimbabwe and also represents an obstacle for the attainment of sustainable economic and social development for 70 percent of her population which lives in rural areas.
The twin evils of poverty and food insecurity are being made worse by dwindling investments in critical rural infrastructure such as irrigation equipment as well as other social and economic services.
Smallholder irrigation plays a vital role in the sustenance of rural livelihoods and is the most dependable and only way resource-poor farmers can improve their livelihoods and ensure sustainable food security during dry periods.
It has been shown, throughout the developing world, that smallholder irrigation development can be used as a key drought mitigation measure and as a vehicle for the long-term agricultural and macro-economic development.
This is particularly true in Zimbabwe where 70 percent of the population lives in rural areas that are characterised by low and unpredictable rainfall patterns.
As such, Manicaland can at least heave a sigh of relief after being selected, together with Matabeleland South, for the Food and Agriculture Organisation $7,8m (6 million) European Union-funded project.
The project has earmarked 20 irrigation schemes in Manicaland and Matabeleland South provinces for rehabilitation.
This move will certainly have a positive impact of stimulating rural agricultural production and productivity in the two provinces.
FAO (a United Nations agency) is implementing the project in collaboration with the key Ministry of Agriculture and other partners.
In Manicaland, the 10 irrigation schemes to receive funding under the Food and Agriculture Organisation Small Holder Irrigation Support Programme (PAO-SIP) have been identified and the process to assess their technical requirements is already at an advanced stage.
The schemes are Tonhorai and Gudyanga (Chimanimani); Maunganidze, Gwerudza-Madzadza A and B, Musikavanhu A5 and B2 and Mutema (Chipinge) and Chiduku-Tikwiri and Chiduku-Ngove (Makoni).
Initially 113 schemes had applied for funding, but at the end only 10 were selected according to the funding requirements.
The schemes vary in sizes — but combined — they add up to 600 hectares.
This is expected to have a positive impact on 15 000 farming beneficiaries in the respective districts.
Smallholder irrigation has proven to be a viable and attractive option for poor farmers in developing countries and returns from intensive irrigated horticulture even on tiny plots could greatly exceed returns from rain-fed cereal production.
In many developing countries, small-scale irrigation schemes were counted on to increase production, reduce unpredictable rainfall and provide food security and employment to poor farmers.
More so irrigation farming is the source of income for the disadvantaged rural people that are mostly women, widows, orphans and people living with HIV and AIDS. A survey of horticultural production in Zimbabwe showed that irrigation farming enables the growing of green vegetables, wheat, tomatoes, cotton, maize and even sugar-cane, among others.
According to the World Bank (2008) more than 70 percent of the poor people live in areas relying mostly on agricultural activities and sometimes mining and fishing for survival.
Manicaland projects are being funded to the tune of 3 million — spread over five years — which has two components; namely irrigation infrastructure rehabilitation and capacity building, market linkages and agro processing/value addition and beneficiation.
The capacity building initiative involves training of key stakeholders, farmers and irrigation management committees so that they are able to manage their schemes viably. This will be done through improving irrigation infrastructure, capacity development of farmers to practise irrigation farming as a business and strengthening of community-level irrigation management committees.
The funding is restricted to the rehabilitation of irrigation schemes in communal and old resettlement areas.
The schemes were operating below capacity — having been blighted by a myriad of operational bottlenecks such as broken-down irrigation equipment and infrastructure, gullies and soil erosion, as most of them have no conservation measures as a result of past floods.
The farmers also complained about lack of critical inputs like fertilisers and seed and lack of ready markets for produce like tomatoes and beans.
It has also emerged that Save River is eroding its banks and changing its course, thereby threatening the existence of schemes along its banks. The major contributing factor to this problem is stream bank cultivation.
The high level of silt in Save River is threatening the sustainability of irrigation schemes along it as most pumps are sucking silt thereby reducing their life span.
The areas are too dry from crop production owing to a combination of erratic rains, severe mid-season dry spell and overworked infertile soils that dealt communal farmers both a debilitating and lethal blow.
“Existing smallholder irrigation schemes have generally performed poorly as a result of technical and financial problems. Blocked canals, aging irrigation equipment and erratic power supply are among the factors that have led to underutilisation of even the few irrigation infrastructures available,” said FAO Sub-regional Co-ordinator for Southern Africa Mr David Phiri while on a recent field visit to the project sites in Chipinge.
He said the FAO funding was concentrating its efforts in areas that have been found to be too dry for successful crop production without irrigation, as well as those that are susceptible to periodic seasonal droughts, prolonged mid-season dry spells and unreliable starts of the rainy season.
“Previous rehabilitations were piece-meal and this programme will see complete rehabilitation.
“As we speak, detailed assessments of technical requirement have been conducted at Gudyanga and the two blocks of Musikavanhu.
“We should be done with Tonhorai and Maunganidze by the end of November.
“Apart from the rehabilitation component, we are also assessing potable water supply situation in view of making sure some drinking water is available as well as construction of sanitary facilities,” said an irrigation expert in the province.
This follows reports of typhoid outbreak in parts of Nyanga where farmers were drinking unsafe water from irrigation canals.
The rehabilitation and expansion of these schemes has had an immediate huge impact as it will enable the country to attain its agricultural goal of improving food and nutritional security at household level.
The funding by the EU bloc fits squarely in Zanu-PF Government’s thrust, as enshrined in its economic blueprint — the Zim-Asset — to achieve food security and surplus to feed downstream industries.
Manicaland, known 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 and Buhera South are also on the mend following the acquisition of irrigation pumps worth about $800 000 by Government.
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 under irrigation.
About 154 500ha fall under the commercial subsector whilst 51 500ha fall under the communal subsector.
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