Sustainable irrigation can do the trick
IT is welcome news that Government is in the process of identifying huge tracts of farmland countrywide to be developed into large scale irrigation schemes to boost agricultural production and ensure national food security.
Due to the devastating effects of global warming that has caused serious droughts in some parts of world and heavy down pours in others, it is imperative for Zimbabwe to develop vibrant irrigation schemes as it is panacea to the country’s food shortages.
The current drought-induced hunger that faces Zimbabwe should be a wake-up call for the Government to take irrigation development countrywide seriously.
The rain-fed agriculture has let the farmers and the country down on several occasions as it is erratic and has seen people failing to plan accordingly resulting in loses and hunger.
Funding has been the major bottleneck and we therefore call for the need to have sustainable irrigation schemes financing programmes that also benefit even smallholder farmers with access to huge water bodies.
It is therefore, pleasing that Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made, on Tuesday, announced that Government was encouraging farmers to enter into joint ventures to boost irrigation services.
He revealed that Government had identified some irrigation projects and had already presented them to the Chinese, who were willing to partner locals in this lucrative farming business.
With the assistance of local agricultural experts, we implore the Government to ensure that some serious irrigation schemes are developed along all major perennially flowing rivers and dams.
Zimbabwe can have bumper yields annually if some irrigation schemes are developed along the Zambezi River in vast swathes of flat land obtaining there.
The Rhodesian Government was carrying out thriving sugarcane farming business in Chirundu area using the Zambezi River water and nothing stops the Zimbabwean Government from doing the same in partnership with the private sector.
Zambia is already doing it and there are agricultural businesses stretching from Livingstone to as far as Chirundu area.
It is saddening that billions of cubic meters of water flow into the Indian Ocean, yet it has potential to transform the lives of millions of Zimbabweans.
However, it is a fact that the Government, while appreciating the importance of irrigation to national food security, has given lip service to rehabilitation of the existing irrigation schemes and let alone forming new ones.
Now the country is faced with devastating hunger as most crops were severely affected by prolonged dry spell last farming season. We expect all stockholders to play ball so that the country do not continue importing food or relying from handouts from Western donors whose assistance at times comes with strings attached.
We challenge the Government to make it policy that no food including maize should be imported and instead, the money meant to bring food into the country should be used to finance irrigation schemes.
By so doing, the country will create millions of jobs in the agriculture sectors. This sector has potential to benefit the downstream industry through spin-offs. With the rich soils obtaining in the country, favourable temperatures and skilled labour, the sky is the limit for the country.
It is therefore our hope that the introduction of Command Agriculture that is targeted at producing over two million tonnes of maize from 400 000 hectares countrywide under strict supervision from Agritex workers will see the country producing more than enough to feed its people.