Online Reporter
Africa Moyo
Deputy National Editor
VICE President Kembo Mohadi yesterday said the Second Republic is working towards moving agricultural practices from traditional rain-fed methods to a more reliable irrigation-based system by 2030, to increase food security under the threat of climate change.
In an interview at his offices in Harare, the VP said the Government has a deliberate social development thrust aimed at ensuring that everyone, especially the vulnerable, have access to resources mainly food, health and education.
The Government’s vision is rooted in the understanding that climate change has rendered rain-fed agriculture increasingly unpredictable, with farmers now facing the devastating impacts of erratic weather patterns, including prolonged droughts and severe flooding, which threaten crop yields and food availability.
With forecasts indicating a continuing trend of climate variability, the need for a robust irrigation infrastructure has never been more urgent.
VP Mohadi said when the Second Republic got into power late 2017, they found out that for a country to develop meaningfully, there was need to access “the furthest areas that are not easily reached”.
“We then decided to embark on road rehabilitation, and the flagship one, being one of the longest, is the Beitbridge-Masvingo-Harare then to Chirundu,” he said.
“The first leg was to Beitbridge to Harare and we have done a tremendous job there, and we are just about to complete that 70km section and I think we may be in a position to open it to traffic at the end of this year, if not the first quarter of next year.”
VP Mohadi said the next thing what to ensure people are fed.
“This was premised on the fact that times are changing, and climate change is upon us. So, for our people to have livelihoods, or to be self-sufficient, we had to get them in a situation whereby, whether it rains or not, they must be able to harvest, they must be able to feed themselves, they must be able to be self-sufficient, and we did so by building a lot of water bodies,” he said.
To kickstart this transformation, the Government has committed to investing in the construction of water bodies, across the nation.
Some of the key projects include the Muchekeranwa, Marovanyati and Chivhu dams, with the signature project being Lake Gwayi Shangani.
These reservoirs will not only supply water for irrigation, but also serve as vital sources for domestic use and livestock farming.
Said VP Mohadi: “It is our view as Government that in the near future, or maybe by 2030, we will be largely dependent on irrigation agriculture.
“We want to move away from rain-fed agriculture, which is very unpredictable because of climate change.
“I am told this year the forecast is that we are going to have La Nina, which is associated with more rains and at times flash floods,” he said.
When dams are in place, the country can then harvest the water in times of plenty and use it in times of shortages.
In its Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2 (2026-2030), the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development said agriculture will play a key role in the attainment of Vision 2030 of an empowered upper-middle-income society.
But it said there was need to enhance resilience building to mitigate and adapt to climate variability and shocks.
VP Mohadi said Lake Gwayi-Shangani is crucial for irrigation and tourism in Matabeleland North, and the revival of industries in Bulawayo.
“Lake Gwayi-Shangani was first mooted in the year 2012 and no other government from 1912 until 2018 decided to tackle it because they thought it was very difficult to do so, or they were not confident enough that they could do it.
“But when we took over in 2018, we decided to say, no, let’s take it by the horns. The main reason was still the people; the people in Bulawayo did not have water,” he said.
With Matabeleland North being a dry region, cropping in the province was difficult and along the 252km pipeline from Gwayi to Bulawayo, there will be points where people can get water and irrigate crops and engage in aquaculture.
Treasury is realising about US$5 million for Lake Gwayi-Shangani to ensure its speedy completion.
VP Mohadi added that Government will continue to look at the peoples’ social needs and positively respond to them.
“For instance, electricity and water (hence) we have been sinking boreholes and also rural electrification targeting clinics and schools,” he said.
Once people have clinics, schools, roads, airports, dams and others, they are able to work for themselves and easily move their farm produce to local and international markets, said VP Mohadi.
