Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
Herald Correspondent
ZIMBABWE is rolling out a combined US$120 million irrigation investment programme aimed at transforming commercial agriculture, expanding irrigated land and strengthening long-term food security under a climate-resilient farming model.
The investment is anchored on major infrastructure projects and rehabilitation programmes expected to unlock thousands of hectares for cereal and diversified crop production across the country.
Yesterday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Professor Obert Jiri, said the country was deliberately shifting towards irrigation-led agriculture to reduce dependence on rainfall.
“The first step is to de-link our agricultural production from the vagaries of the weather,” he said.
“We must ensure that our production is not affected by what happens weather-wise. Therefore, irrigation development is the key thrust.”
Government is targeting the expansion of irrigated cereal production to 350 000 hectares, a level authorities say is sufficient to guarantee national food security and produce at least two million metric tonnes of grain.
Currently, Zimbabwe has about 257 000 hectares under irrigation, but only around 150 000 hectares are suitable for cereal production, with the remainder largely under plantation crops such as sugarcane and citrus.
This gap has prompted a renewed push to expand irrigation infrastructure and rehabilitate existing schemes.
“We now need to move from the 150 000 or so to at least 350 000 hectares, which will assure us of perennial food security in this country,” Prof Jiri said.
At the centre of the programme is the rehabilitation of 460 irrigation schemes under the MAKA programme, which targets the restoration of 26 000 hectares of irrigable land.
Authorities say 331 irrigation schemes have already been rehabilitated, with work ongoing to cover the remaining facilities across all provinces.
“We are moving slowly, targeting all the irrigation schemes across the country under the programme to rehabilitate them,” Prof Jiri said.
Large-scale infrastructure projects are also driving the investment push, with the Valley Irrigation Scheme in Chiredzi and surrounding lowveld areas valued at US$51 million.
Another flagship project, the Munda Wedu scheme, is nearing completion at an estimated cost of US$70 million, targeting both smallholder and commercial farmers.
“These facilities are available for farmers to utilise, and we are not stopping there.
“We are also targeting land around dams, which can be converted into irrigation,” Prof Jiri said.
Government is encouraging commercially successful farmers to invest in dam-side irrigation development as part of efforts to fully utilise national water resources.
In addition, the Productivity Booster Kits programme — launched by President Mnangagwa — is expanding irrigation-based production among smallholder A1 farmers, targeting at least 10 000 hectares across provinces.
So far, implementation has covered Mashonaland Central, with expansion underway into Mashonaland West and Manicaland.
The combined initiatives form part of a broader strategy to modernise agriculture, boost productivity and shield farmers from climate variability, while increasing output in line with Vision 2030 food security targets.
