Irrigation schemes drive climate proofed agriculture

Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) has stepped up efforts to drive climate-proofing agriculture which guarantees production and productivity of rural irrigation schemes.

Climate-proofing or smart agriculture incorporates climate change adaptation measures into agriculture, rural development, and food security investment projects. As the Government continues to revive and rehabilitate irrigation schemes infrastructure through the Smallholder Irrigation Revitalisation Programme (SIRP), Arda which is mandated to manage the schemes and make them viable is driving climate-proofing agriculture.

“We have achieved milestones for climate-proofing agriculture which guarantees production and productivity of the rural irrigation schemes. The schemes will be run at the back of a profitable and viable business case to drive rural transformation of the rural household beneficiaries and subsequent contribution to the provincial Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Hence dovetailing to the Government devolution agenda as we journey towards Vision 2030 for the attainment of an upper — middle income society,” Arda chief executive officer (CEO) Mr Tinotenda Mhiko told the Sunday News.

He said they were also stepping up efforts to ensure all the 450 irrigation schemes across the country are under the scheme business manager model, with already about 289 irrigation schemes under the model up from the 42 irrigation schemes that were piloted last year. Mr Mhiko said the model is part of the Second Republic’s efforts to accelerate rural development and industrialisation in line with Vision 2030.

With the recent commissioning of Sebasa and Guyu-Chelesa irrigation schemes in Gwanda District, the Arda CEO said: “As we replicate the integrated business model, Guyu-Chelesa Irrigation Scheme already has a scheme manager, while one is yet to be deployed at Sebasa Irrigation Scheme this week.”

Meanwhile, commissioning the two irrigation schemes, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Vangelis Haritatos said as part of efforts to build resilience in most rural communities in arid and semi-arid areas, they have embarked on a number of climate smart initiatives to ensure continued national food security.

“As a ministry, we believe that irrigation is the half panacea to climate change, hence focus is also on expanded irrigation development and water harvesting for enhancing agriculture production and productivity.

Government plans to rehabilitate 350 000 hectares by 2025 across the country to safeguard the nation against the vagaries of climate change and ensure national food security. Of this figure, SIRP will contribute 6100ha by 2023 with Sebasa irrigation scheme being one of the beneficiaries,” he said.

Deputy Minister Haritatos said one of the unique points about Guyu irrigation scheme was the fact that, besides cropping for food, the scheme also had a dairy component and has 20 hectares set aside for the production of fodder. He said as Government, they encouraged farmers in irrigation schemes to ensure that the schemes continue to function as they focus on rehabilitating other schemes in other districts.

“While we encourage farmers to grow grain which contributes to the national strategic grain reserves, for the purposes of keeping the scheme sustainable, I encourage you to also rotate cultivation of grain with high value crops such as groundnuts, pepper, potatoes, spices, vegetables and fruits.”

Deputy Minister Haritatos said the rehabilitated irrigation schemes are expected to uplift the livelihoods of farmers in Matabeleland South and as such, they will be part of an empowered upper middle-income society.

He said under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) one of the key deliverables under the blueprint was agricultural production and productivity to ensure food security.

“As the agricultural sector, we are expected to improve food self-sufficiency from 45 percent in 2020 to 100 percent by 2025. This entails increasing maize production from 907 629 tonnes in 2020 to 3 million tonnes in 2025 among other deliverables.”