New breath of life for Tshikwalakwala irrigation scheme

Thupeyo Muleya–Beitbridge Bureau

The Government, in partnership with the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), has completed resuscitating the 65 hectares Tshikwalakwala irrigation project in Beitbridge district.

Located some 130km east of the border down, the project had been grounded for almost 15 years.

Canals, water points and the parametric fence had all succumbed to wear and tear until the government stepped in around 2019.

An injection of US$1 million was poured in to rehabilitate the project.

The 126 farmers working with the department of Agricultural and Rural Development Services have cleared 30 hectares on which they have been planting maize, soya beans and wheat since 2022.

The produce is being supplied to the Grain Marketing Board and the local Beitbridge market.

At the moment, the farmers have put 13 ha under maize grown under the block system while work on clearing the other land is in progress.

The block system ensures the crops are planted and harvested at the same time bearing maximum benefits for the farmers.

Government intervened to save the irrigation project from total collapse through the seven-year Smallholder Irrigation Revitalisation Program (SIRP). 

Under the programme, the government has been able to mechanise the irrigation system, constructing two ground-mounted solar plants with an output capacity of 75 kilowatts and 54 kilowatts.

They have also drilled eight more boreholes to add to the previous three which used to provide irrigation water to the project.

It is understood that the solar plants have capacity to irrigate 1 000 hectares and also provide power to the local business centre.

The project was handed over to the community last year who said in different interviews this week that they were relieved and hoping for better days ahead.

“We are happy with the progress on the ground, where the plotholders have shown in a lot of commitment in getting the project working to full capacity,” said Mr Masauso Mawocha the district agricultural rural development services officer.

“The farmers have been growing beans, wheat and maize, and they have also pooled resources to procure a parameter fence, and fixing broken down water points.

At the moment they have grown maize on 13 hectares which is in good condition and at the maturity stage”.

He said so far the farmers working together had cleared 22 hectares of land out of a target of 65 hectares.

Work on the other portion is underway and so far each plot holder is farming on 02. ha plots.

A plotholder at the project, Mr Aaron Baloyi said recently that the community was grateful that the government and its partners had rescued them.

“We are considering erecting an electric fence as a long-term plan to deter wild animals from destroying key infrastructure and crops,” he said.

“As a community, we also commended the government for its intervention considering that one of the major sources of livelihood for us grinding to a halt”.

Before this intervention, Mr Baloyi said the farmers used to operate on three diesel pumps and procuring diesel to power projects had been a headache for many years.

He said some plotholders had started pulling out because of the state of affairs, but these were returning.

When the project started running last year it had 113 plotholders and the number at the moment stands at 126 people.

“Following the first harvest of maize, most plotholders had started tilling the land and are now seeing value in the project,” he said. 

It is understood that the government also intends to extend the current 65 hectares to 90 hectares in a setup where 25 hectares will be put under citrus.

According to another farmer at the scheme Mrs Saliwe Sithole, most plotholders were women and men were gradually coming on board.

She said the project will, in the long run, ease their social burden with the creation of a new revenue stream at the irrigation project.

Mrs Sithole said the use of renewable energy at the project had cut some operations costs for them and that the adoption of irrigation based farming ensures that they are able to grow crops throughout the year.