adminSamuel Kadungure Mutare Bureau
THE Food and Agriculture Organisation has improved efficiencies of smallholder farmers at five irrigation schemes in Manicaland Province through training on the latest agronomic practices and linking them to financial institutions and markets.
This follows successful rehabilitation of Gudyanga, Tonhorai, Maunganidze, Musikavanhu A4 and Musikavanhu B2 under the FAO Smallholder Irrigation Support Programme, funded to the tune of three million Euros by the European Union for implementation in Manicaland.
Rehabilitation work is at various stages and is expected to be finished by December at the other five — Mutema, Gwerudza Block B and A, Chiduku-Ngove and Chiduku-Tikwiri.
The project had two components, namely irrigation infrastructure rehabilitation and capacity building, market linkages and agro-processing/value-addition and beneficiation.
The capacity building initiative involved training of key stakeholders, farmers and irrigation management committees so that they are able to manage their schemes viably.
Farmers at Gudyanga, Tonhorai, Maunganidze, Musikavanhu A4 and Musikavanhu B2 have signed take off agreements with Agribank, Metbank and CABS.
FAO project co-ordinator, Mr Simbarashe Marwei, said the farmers can borrow money to buy inputs and finance other production operations.
The farmers are all now banked and have established an operation and maintenance fund for future repair and maintenance of the irrigation infrastructure.
“The farmers were linked to financiers like Agribank, MET Bank and CABS where they are getting loans to buy required inputs.
“Yields have also improved (at the five schemes). The farmers used to produce maize an average of two tonnes per hectare, but this summer it has gone to between six tonnes and 12 tonnes per hectare,” said Mr Marwei.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Admire Mapuranga, of Gudyanga Irrigation Scheme, has produced 12 tonnes of maize per hectare.
Mr Marwei said lack of market linkages was a major challenge.
“Markets have also been secured and farmers are growing sugar bean seed under contract with K2, Michigan pea bean with Cairns, maize contract with Paper Hole Investments (PHI), tomatoes with Best Food Processors (tomatoes),” said Mr Marwei.
Gudyanga Irrigation Scheme chairperson, Mr Tongai Chipiro, said lack of market linkages previously increased their transaction costs, post-harvest losses, perpetuated farming as a social rather than business activity and reduced market efficiency.
He said following FAO’s intervention, farmers were now able to make use of both national and domestic level markets and gain information on quality standards and other market requirements.
Mr Chipiro said their schemes were clustered and had managers deployed to train farmers and Agritex officials on farming as a business, scheme governance and agronomic issues.
“This year we are happy to tell you the truth. We have recorded the best yields since the scheme’s establishment 20 years ago. Some farmers used to produce four scotch carts per hectare but this year they produced eight, which goes to show that production has more than doubled,” said Mr Chipiro.
“We were not connected to value chains that reach beyond our local community and we now understand the entire chain and facilitation and establishment of these financial and market linkages were the critical steps needed to provide the farmers access to more promising market opportunities to create a long-term capacity for farmers.”
The intervention by FAO has helped eradicate challenges facing most irrigation schemes in Natural Region Five which covers the lower Sabi Valley.
These included lack of maintenance.
Online Reporter