Irrigation facilities underutilised

Lazarus Sauti

The drought-induced hunger that faces Zimbabwe should be a wake-up call for the government, farers as well as development funders and partners to take irrigation development and dam construction seriously and move away from depending on rain-fed agriculture.

Sadly, the government, while appreciating the importance of irrigation and dam construction to national food security, has given lip service to irrigation rehabilitation and development.

As a result, most – if not all – citizens are faced with hunger as most crops were severely affected by either floods or the prolonged dry spell.

Despite the availability of water reservoirs to irrigate two million hectares, the country is failing to utilise the existing irrigation capacity.

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa admits Zimbabwe is failing to fully utilise the existing irrigation capacity despite the availability of enough water reservoirs to irrigate two million hectares of land.

Speaking at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show Agribusiness Conference recently, VP Mnangagwa said like any other developing nation, agriculture in Zimbabwe is largely rain fed and as such there is need for serious investments in irrigation.

He added that the country has a total of 220 000 hectares of installed irrigation capacity out of which 153 000 hectares is functional.

“Despite the positive contributions to the economy over the years, productivity in the agricultural sector has been negatively affected by unpredictable rainfall patterns attributed to climate change.

“Zimbabwe has a total of 220 000 hectares of installed irrigation capacity out of which 153 000 hectares is functional.

“This is a sad reality because Zimbabwe has adequate water to irrigate two million hectares,” VP Mnangagwa said.

He added that “due to the low level usage of irrigation, Zimbabwe is highly vulnerable to erratic rainfall patterns which directly affect our farm output and pose a huge threat to the attainment of self sufficiency in food security and nutrition.”

Supporting VP Mnangagwa and also speaking at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show Agribusiness Conference, Zimbabwe Meteorological Services Department director Dr Amos Makarau said the country has been experiencing extreme weather patterns with prolonged droughts because of climate change.

He added that rainfall in the country has been violent and disruptive, thus the country should try to invest on irrigation and other water harvesting mechanisms.

“Investing in irrigation facilities and dam construction is now imperative and urgent. Climate is no longer with us. We all have a collective responsibility,” Dr Makarau said, adding that “the future is unknown, but indications are that, climate change needs a solution to counter any threat that might be posed on crops to easy food shortages in the country.”

He also noted the need to embark on water harvesting and conservation programmes such as the dam and canal construction for easy access to irrigation facilities.

“It is also critical for the government to invest in research and development as a way of finding a solution to any threat that might be posed by climate change,” added Dr Makarau.

Director of Irrigation Development in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Dr Conrade Zawe believes irrigation development should be considered an important cornerstone for agricultural development in Zimbabwe as it has the potential to boost agricultural productivity by at least 50 percent.

“Irrigation development is an effective pillar for agricultural development in Zimbabwe. It enhances reliable irrigation and improves crop yields, makes multi-cropping possible, enables smallholders to cultivate high-value crops as well as provides year-round farm employment,” he said.

Dr Zawe added: “For thousands of poor families, access to irrigation obviously makes the difference between hunger and a full belly, a well-nourished child and one stunted by malnutrition and a productive livelihood and one mired in poverty.”

Lissom Mhlanga, an expert in irrigation development, notes that since about 70 percent of Zimbabweans live in rural areas and mostly depend on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihood, irrigation development is the key to poverty eradication.

He therefore urges the government to seriously invest in irrigation infrastructure so as to revitalise and augment productivity of small scale irrigation schemes in the country, especially in rural areas.

“Irrigation development is crucial towards poverty eradication and sustainable socio-economic development. A switch to irrigated agriculture could have huge implications for smallholder farmers who can triple their food production.

“Accordingly, the government, with the help of other key stakeholders, must put irrigation infrastructure in place, especially in rural areas, if the country is to lift citizens out of poverty,” Mhlanga said.

Honestly, without adequate irrigation facilities, farming in Zimbabwe will remain a difficult venture. To simplify farming and transform the economy, the government, together with critical stakeholders in the agriculture sector must simply invest in irrigation development as well as dam construction and ensure that these facilities are maintained and utilised to the benefit of the country and its citizens.