TENDAIISHE NYAMUKUNDA
Government is expediting irrigation projects across the country in order to combat El-Nino’s effects in this 2023/ 2024 cropping season and to ensure agricultural productivity and food security in the country.
Professor Obert Jiri, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, revealed the development and stated that it will encourage the production of important crops for food security, such as wheat and maize.
“Government has earmarked irrigation schemes for production of key food security crops, maize and wheat. Through the Presidential Input Schemes adequate and timely provision of inputs for these key crops has seen an improvement in the productivity and production levels”, Professor Jiri said.
He added: “The Government has also stepped up deployment of ARDA scheme business managers at key irrigation schemes across the country. The managers are primarily tasked with ensuring that the scheme runs as a business, the irrigation scheme business unit as it is now known”.
Furthermore, Professor Jiri stated that his ministry supports farmers in their farming endeavors and output by offering training in sustainable farming methods.
He said:” The Ministry of Lands Agriculture Fisheries Water and Rural Development has stepped up staff capacitation programs, the programs have seen extension officers being motorised and provided with ICT gadgets to ensure swift dissemination of extension messages, particularly weather updates and forecasts, this complements the traditional approaches of disseminating information.”
“Farmer training on good agricultural practices in the irrigation schemes has been enhanced in the 2023/2024 season, the training is mainly aimed at addressing effective weed control, soil nutrition, pest and diseases issues and post-harvest, “ Professor Jiri said.
Furthermore, Jiri said the government has been working in the rehabilitation of non-functional irrigation schemes since last year and it managed to rehabilitate 4601 ha and the area has been put for the production of maize.
“Government through the Ministry of Lands Agriculture Fisheries Water and Rural Development and its partners is currently working towards the rehabilitation of previously non-functional irrigation schemes, in 2023 alone 4601ha were rehabilitated, the rehabilitated area has since been put to maize with some schemes that were rehabilitated earlier in 2023 having grown wheat. “According to Dr. Shadreck Makombe, president of the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union, the government’s implementation of these irrigation projects is a positive step toward enhancing food security in the nation.
“Given the situation, climate change is real as vindicated by this El-Nino and all other negative weather patterns meaning irrigation that’s the answer to improvement in food security. So it means the government is now sensitive to the environment and situation and as a result by establishing these irrigation schemes it is mitigating the bad situations, “ Dr Makombe said.
Tobacco Farmers Union Trust vice president Edward Dune said irrigation is an effective strategy resultantly improving standards of living for the country at large there by mitigating the devastating impacts of El-Nino.
“Irrigation is one effective strategy among many others and we expect further capital development injections from government and stakeholders as amour to tame weather-related vagaries for the sake of agricultural productivity, “said Dune.
