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Pamela Shumba, Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT is in the process of mobilising funds to rehabilitate irrigation schemes throughout the country to mitigate the effects of climate change which is seriously threatening the country’s food security.
Speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the National and Gender Sensitive Policy in Bulawayo on Thursday, Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Douglas Karoro said most critical irrigation equipment needed to be resuscitated so that it performs to its maximum capacity.
“In light of the bad weather conditions obtaining at the moment, the ministry is identifying irrigation schemes that are not performing well in the past years. We’ll visit the irrigation schemes and assess before resuscitating them so that they perform well.
“Although we’re still waiting for confirmation from the crop assessment for the 2018/2019 agricultural season, it’s clear that we’re facing a year of drought and the crop situation is not good,” said Deputy Minister Karoro in an interview.
He said Treasury had promised to release funds for the resuscitation programme while the Ministry was also making arrangements with private individuals to make sure they assist through the build-operate-transfer (BOT) systems.
Deputy Minister Karoro said the Ministry was also in the process of constructing weirs across the country as part of the water harvesting programme aimed at enhancing agricultural activities in rural areas.
“It seems from this climate change phenomenon we’re going to have more frequent droughts in the country. To mitigate the impact of drought, we’re therefore looking at ways of harvesting water through construction of dams to create more water bodies.
“We have over 10 000 water bodies in the country but the ministry intends to create more dams and weirs with a view to harvesting more water and increasing irrigation potential throughout the country,” he said.
Deputy Minister Karoro said the ministry was also investing in cloud seeding to enhance chances of rain during the farming seasons.
Food security issues have become topical in the country, with the Government being called upon to embark on intensive irrigation rehabilitation programmes to improve productivity, enhance food security and minimise perennial reliance on food aid. — @pamelashumba1.
Online Reporter