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The Rhodesia Herald,
April 25, 1969
THE Government plans to build as many irrigation schemes as possible to assist the development of the Tribal Trust Lands, which the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Lance Smith, described here today as a repository of considerable wealth and an area of tremendous agricultural and industrial development.
Opening the ACCOR symposium on Tribal Trust Land development, Mr Smith said that his ministry was engaged in building irrigation schemes ranging from 50 to 200 acres in the drought-prone areas of Matabeleland, and in the development of lager schemes involving 1 000 acres and more throughout the country.
The minister said the Government’s programme of resettling African families in inhabitable or sparsely populated areas was proving most successful and would be completed in another 10 years.
“In the scheme’s first three years, 40 000 African men, women and children have moved in at their expense and own volition after we have provided essential water supplies, in the form of boreholes and dams, roads and bridges and where necessary the eradication of tsetse fly,” Mr Smith said.
“This development is costing Government about £800 000, a year and we foresee a need for this plan to continue to another 10 years. By then all settlements areas should have been fully developed and settled.”
He said £100 000 was being spent annually on the provision of small irrigation schemes, especially in Matabeleland, and cattle production was being integrated into the schemes.
“Plans are also at hand to expand the Chisumbanje scheme from 1 400 to 6 000 acres and other major schemes are being planned so that they can be developed as soon as funds become available.
“For example, there are some 50 000 acres of irrigable land available within economic distance of Lake Kariba in the Binga district.
“There are 20 000 acres of good irrigable soil in the Dande Valley of the Sipolilo district. There are encouraging signs that 5 000 acres of the rice soil can be irrigated along the banks of Limpopo River in the Nuanetsi district.
“The potential in this field is enormous and, of course, not only does an irrigation scheme bring the African farmer into cash economy, but it also attracts traders, businessmen, journeyman and others and generally generates wealth.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Irrigation is an important process in agriculture. It involves the harnessing and storage of large volumes of water, especially in dams and other reservoirs, during the rainy season for use later or during drought periods.
Irrigation removes limitations for farmers and allows them to: grow more pastures and crops and contribute meaningfully to the country’s food security.
It also allows farmers to plan and grow crops throughout the year because they are not reliant on the rains. A lot of rural communities in the country are now self-reliant after Government resuscitated some irrigation schemes such as Makwe, which is the biggest irrigation scheme in Gwanda.
Irrigation is one of the ways of mitigating the negative effects of climate change which has brought on a lot of adverse weather conditions such as droughts which are having a negative effect on food security.
Online Reporter