The Sunday News
Senior Farming Reporter
THE Government has resuscitated 30 percent of the country’s major irrigation schemes as it moves ahead with efforts to ensure that all the country’s irrigation schemes are back to full production to boost food security.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister responsible for crop production and irrigation development, Cde Davis Marapira, said the Government has placed the reviving and development of irrigation schemes as a priority towards improving the country’s food security.
“Generally we have resuscitated about 30 percent of the country’s irrigation schemes and with the availability of adequate funding we will be able to resuscitate another 40 percent next year,” he said.
Cde Marapira said the country’s major irrigation schemes have a combined size of 500 000 hectares.
“Mushandike irrigation scheme in Masvingo is under resuscitation with about 60 percent of the scheme already being worked on. Nhowe in Nyanyadzi has been resuscitated after the installation of a new pipeline.
“In Fuve Panganayi we have managed to resuscitate 100 hectares and the other 100 hectares will be resuscitated through the Swiss Developmental Fund and much of the resuscitation work is being carried out in other smaller irrigation schemes throughout the country,” Cde Marapira said.
He added that irrigation schemes were ideal as farmers can realise maximum yields since they can control most of the farming activities.
“We believe irrigation is the way forward because it will enable us to achieve an improved crop yield of about 10 tonnes per hectare instead of the six tonnes per hectare and below which we are realising through rain-fed cropping.
“Apart from increasing the yield per hectare, irrigating can also reduce the farmers’ overhead costs and ensure that they break even through realising profits from selling their produce. Improved crop productivity will also result in the reduction of food and inputs imports,” Cde Marapira said.
He said with adequate funding all of the country’s irrigation schemes will be revived within the shortest of time further stating that communities should embrace the concept of irrigation schemes to boost households food security and subsequently forward the surplus to the country’s food reserves.
“We are also urging communities to start their own irrigation schemes. They shouldn’t only do so because of availability of surface water such as dams but should also utilise ground water through drilling boreholes,” said Cde Marapira.
Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and re-vegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall.
Additionally, irrigation also has a few other uses in crop production, which include protecting plants against frost, suppressing weed growth in grain fields and preventing soil consolidation. In contrast, agriculture that relies only on direct rainfall is referred to as rain-fed or dry land farming.
