Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
AT LEAST 1 796 hectares (ha) will be added to the country’s irrigable farmland through the rehabilitation of 24 irrigation schemes financed under the Grain Levy as the country braces for what weather experts say could be a severe 2026/2027 El Niño season.
The programme is being financed through the Agricultural Marketing Fund, which is supported by the Grain Levy introduced under Statutory Instrument (SI) 87 of 2025.
Collected by the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) on imported grain, the levy was established to mobilise resources for strategic investments that increase agricultural production, strengthen food security and reduce dependence on grain imports.
The irrigation expansion comes as the Government steps up preparations in anticipation of below-normal rainfall across Southern Africa.
Alongside irrigation development, the authorities are promoting climate-smart agriculture, mechanisation, water harvesting and drought-tolerant crop varieties in an effort to reduce agriculture’s vulnerability to erratic weather.
President Mnangagwa recently urged farmers to prioritise early maturing and drought-resistant crops while assuring the nation that the Government was implementing comprehensive measures to cushion the agriculture sector against expected El Niño conditions.
The President’s call followed warnings by weather experts indicating a 90 percent probability of below-normal rainfall across the region.
The Government’s 2026/2027 summer cropping plan targets 1,8 million ha of maize and more than 500 000ha of traditional grains, with irrigation identified as one of the key pillars of the national climate adaptation strategy.
More than US$3,2 million and ZiG29 million have already been disbursed under the Agricultural Marketing Fund towards irrigation development, with projects at various stages of completion across the country.
AMA’s marketing and public relations manager Ms Tina Nleya said the authority was beginning to witness tangible results from the Grain Levy.
“So far, we have managed to rehabilitate 24 irrigation schemes covering 1 796 hectares of land, and Nyaitenga is one of the irrigation schemes that is now 100 percent complete, with most of the irrigation schemes being between 60 and 100 percent complete,” she said.
“This should be completed within the next few months and, after that, a third tranche of funding will be released to further develop other irrigation schemes.”
The Grain Levy, she said, was established after the Government recognised the need for a sustainable financing mechanism to boost agricultural production while ensuring that farmers benefit from structured markets.
“What we are seeing today is the utilisation of the Grain Levy under SI 87 of 2025. The levy is collected by AMA and deposited into the Agricultural Marketing Fund. Besides rehabilitating irrigation infrastructure, we are also working to aggregate production so that we can secure better and more reliable markets for farmers.”
An AMA progress report shows that completed projects include Nyaitenga in Mashonaland East, Chimhanda in Mashonaland Central, Nyamangara in Mashonaland West and Hlauke in Matabeleland North.
Several other schemes are at advanced stages of completion.
The report further indicates that projects being implemented under the first phase are largely between 63 and 99 percent complete, while implementation under the second phase has commenced in several provinces, signalling continued expansion of the programme.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Professor Obert Jiri recently said the Government’s climate resilience strategy was anchored in six key pillars: strengthening the Strategic Grain Reserve, expanding irrigation, promoting Pfumvudza/Intwasa, increasing production of traditional grains, encouraging the adoption of climate-smart seed varieties and strengthening early warning systems.
Among the flagship projects is the US$120 000 Nyaitenga Irrigation Scheme in Murewa, where 20ha have been restored to full production, benefitting more than 50 farming families after part of the scheme had remained non-functional for almost five years.
Mashonaland East provincial irrigation development director Engineer Catherine Mureri-Jaji said the rehabilitation had restored the entire irrigation scheme within a month.
“For almost five years, our drip section was totally down, but after the intervention through AMA funding, it only took us a month to rehabilitate the scheme and now it is fully functional,” she said.
“The rehabilitation included repairing the main pipeline, replacing damaged filters and drip lines, installing a new pump and extending the scheme by an additional three hectares for youth farmers.”
For 29-year-old farmer Mr Katrosa Gondo, the revived irrigation scheme represents renewed hope for young people in agriculture.
“For years, we depended entirely on rainfall, and many young people had begun to lose interest in farming. With irrigation now restored, we can produce throughout the year, earn a reliable income and build our future through agriculture,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Ms Samantha Sapuwa, said reliable access to water had transformed livelihoods.
“We now have confidence to invest in farming because we know we can produce even when the rains fail. Irrigation is helping us improve food security, educate our children and generate income from agriculture,” she said.
Ms Portia Chigora said the scheme had created new opportunities for women farmers to venture into commercial production.
“Water is now available throughout the year and that means we can diversify into high-value crops and supply formal markets. Women are becoming more economically independent because of this project,” she said.
Ward 25 councillor Mr Chenjerai Kandemiri said the rehabilitation had restored hope in the community.
“When the irrigation scheme stopped functioning, many people became idle, with some youths turning to drugs and substance abuse while families struggled to survive. Today, people are back in the fields, incomes are beginning to improve and the whole community is benefitting,” he said.
derick.khumalo