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Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
At least 20 000 jobs are expected to be created following the launch yesterday of the US$20 million Small-holder Irrigation Infrastructure Development Fund (SIIDF), as part of Government’s efforts to boost rural incomes and ensure food self-sufficiency.
The SIIDF, to benefit 18 small holder irrigation schemes, will be funded by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development from the Zimbabwean allocation of US$958 million received from the International Monetary Fund’s US$650 billion Special Drawing Rights released to member countries last year.
Yesterday, Finance and Economic Development Minster Mthuli Ncube and Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development Anxious Masuka signed a memorandum of understanding that would see the Finance Ministry providing the fund while the Agriculture Ministry would be the implementing agent of the programme.
“The funds under this facility will be disbursed through the National Budget starting in January 2023 to the identified 18 smallholder irrigation schemes spread in the 8 rural provinces of Zimbabwe, excluding Harare and Bulawayo metropolitan provinces.
The main objective of the facility is to ensure food and nutrition self-sufficiency to the vulnerable smallholder rural farmers in Zimbabwe. A total of 18 smallholder irrigation schemes covering about 2 714ha, with about 4 500 households will benefit from the facility,” Prof Ncube said.
He added that the facility would also lead to improved food self-sufficiency and retaining the regional breadbasket status; increased food self-sufficiency from the 2020 level of 45 percent to over 100 percent and reduce food insecurity from the high of 59 percent recorded in 2020 to less than 10 percent by 2025.
“The initiative will go a long way in enhancing climate proofing to the vulnerable, ensuring food and nutrition security.
“The scheme intends to provide employment directly to more than 20 000 people,” he added.
In his remarks, Dr Masuka said the SIIDF was a milestone development for the agricultural sector.
“It is a milestone development for a sector that had been neglected for a long time that is small holder irrigation. This is in the context of Vision 2030, the context of National Development Strategy 1 and our vibrant and robust Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy,” he said.
Dr Masuka said the Facility was part of Government’s strategies to enhance rural development as seen in the various Presidential schemes to assist communal and small-holder farmers.
The small-holder irrigation schemes had the potential to improve the livelihoods of farmers through food self-sufficiency and employment creation.
There are 450 small-holder irrigation schemes in the country covering at least 26 000 hectares although some are dogged by operational challenges.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union chief executive, Mr Paul Zakariya welcomed the revival of irrigation schemes saying they would address the long-term effects of climate change.
“This is a welcome development because our seasons are getting drier and drier so the most effective way of addressing water challenges and ensuring productivity is to harness water and develop irrigation schemes,” he said.
A Goromonzi based small-holder farmer Mrs Florence Chizhande said it was imperative that Government support small-holder farmers as they had the potential to feed the nation.
“The small-holder and communal sector is where the majority of farmers are found so its only natural that more resource be channelled towards their development so that we can become self-sufficient as a nation.
“This makes this deal a welcome development and we hope more resources would be availed,” she said.
Online Reporter