When there is a plan and a vision
THE video of a short, but incisive speech made by President Mnangagwa soon after he commissioned the Bubi- Lupane Irrigation Scheme in Matabeleland North last weekend has gone viral.
Apart f rom commissioning t he Bubi- Lupane Irrigation Scheme, which is owned by the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority ( ARDA), President Mnangagwa also launched ARDA’s Vision 2030 Accelerator Irrigation Model.
President Mnangagwa’s short video clip left doubting Thomases convinced that the New Dispensation has a clear plan for developing Zimbabwe.
Below is the now famous speech made by President Mnangagwa:
“All what is needed is to use technology which is now available and there is no region in Zimbabwe which cannot grow a crop. What we need is to apply correct technology to every particular region of this country.
“A year ago, this ( Bubi- Lupane Irrigation Scheme) was nothing but bush, but we have decided to grow crops here, it becomes a crop area. We began with Jotsholo ( ARDA Jotsholo Irrigation Scheme) further up, that’s where we began doing cropping — maize, wheat and burley — and it went on very well.
“Now we know that it is possible and we are going to expand. This province, Mat North, in the past was not known for any contribution to the national food security because people believed that region 4 and 5 was not suitable for cropping. It’s a lie. It can be achieved, you can see it, you can train your cameras and see what is happening.
“And again, we are developing the rural areas. Come back after two years, two to three seasons the families who are working here will have been shifted from poverty to a level where they are now above poverty level.
“That is as a result of planning, as a result of vision. We are going to have this in every province, possibly in every district as we move on.”
Before dissecting the speech, it is important to explain ARDA’s Vision 2030 Accelerator Irrigation Model.
The model, being spearheaded by ARDA’s youthful chief executive officer Mr Tinotenda Mhiko, will result in the authority producing at least 117 000 tonnes of maize countrywide worth US$ 21 million per each harvest.
There will be a potential wheat harvest of 130 000 tonnes valued at US$ 46 million.
The model is expected to uplift rural development, as ARDA optimally utilises at least 26 hectares to produce crops.
The model will create employment for local communities providing labour to the irrigation schemes that are dotted around the country.
Villagers will be roped in as shareholders in the schemes and ARDA is expected to pay a dividend on profit to approximately 55 000 families and direct beneficiaries, with an estimated assistance to one million indirect beneficiaries.
The model will guarantee food, feed and fibre security for rural communities.
There will be a revamp of infrastructure like pivots, tractors and pumps, and the use of new technologies in the farming activities.
Under the Vision 2030 Accelerator Irrigation Model, ARDA will construct decentralised micro-processing hubs, with feedstock produced at the irrigation schemes.
This will be part of the on- site value addition that the authority expects to implement.
Now, to President Mnangagwa’s speech. The speech was emphatic in reflecting how President Mnangagwa’s administration is tackling issues of development and eradicating poverty.
For the purposes of this article, the speech has been dissected into four major themes — technology, development of rural areas, national food security and shifting people from poverty.
Technology
President Mnangagwa said: “
All what is needed is to use technology which is now available and there is no region in Zimbabwe which cannot grow a crop. What we need is to apply correct technology to every particular region of this country.”
This understanding that modern farming has shifted drastically to rely on new technologies is one of the game changers being witnessed in the local agricultural sector.
What is important is that this has since moved from being just an understanding, to implementation, as being witnessed in the irrigation schemes around the country.
ARDA has gone on an overdrive to put this vision being enunciated by President Mnangagwa into reality through revival of irrigation schemes around the country and improving the mechanisation processes.
Modern agriculture uses sophisticated technologies, and if these are put into effect in Zimbabwe, they will help change the country’s status when it comes to food security. New agricultural technologies allow efficient production, thereby increasing output and in turn farmers realise more profits.
In his speech, President Mnangagwa is talking about the revolutionary effect of the application of new technologies,
like what ARDA has done at Bubi- Lupane Irrigation Scheme.
The vision is to have such technology installed at various irrigation schemes across the country, a move that will completely chart a new course in agriculture.
Development of rural areas President Mnangagwa said: “And again, we are developing the rural areas.”
This is a short, but power- packed sentence, which summarises the philosophy being pushed by President Mnangagwa that will leave no one behind when it comes to development. With this sentence, President Mnangagwa is leading the discourse for rural development, which have been contributing to the national economy, but yet remained at the periphery.
Rural areas need efficient transportation, and that is being addressed through the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme that has seen many rural areas being upgraded and rehabilitated.
Tied to improved agricultural production through the use of new technologies, an efficient transportation system has the potential to widen access to markets by facilitating easy movement of people and goods.
A number of development activities are taking place with the net effect of changing the rural areas.
Electricity production i s being improved, dams and other water reservoirs are being built, access to information communication technology is being improved and improving agribusiness has been the focus by the New Dispensation.
National food security
“Now we know that it is possible and we are going to expand so that this province Mat North in the past was not known for any contribution to the national food security because people believed that region 4 and 5 was not suitable for cropping. It’s a lie.”
President Mnangagwa said:
In this statement, President Mnangagwa is challenging previous notions and assumptions when it comes to the development of rural areas in Zimbabwe.
Harmful biases that ended up with some areas being neglected are being corrected through the application of knowledge based agriculture, as the country moves towards total food security.
The misconception that farming cannot take place in dry regions classified as region 4 and region 5 is being dismantled .
President Mnangagwa makes it clear that the argument that agriculture cannot take place in these parts of the country is a lie.
What gives him confidence is the example at Bubi- Lupane Irrigation Scheme and the nearby ARDA Jotsholo Irrigation Scheme that are already doing wonders in crop production in the so- called region 5.
This brave act of trying the “impossible” in regions that were not known for farming will become the bedrock of national food security.
Shifting from poverty and leaving no one behind
President Mnangagwa said: “Come back after two years, two to three seasons the families who are working here will have been shifted from poverty to a level where they are now above poverty level. We are going to have this in every province, possibly in every district as we move on.”
This is the rock upon which Vision 2030 of achieving an upper middle income economy is built.
Many households will be lifted out of poverty by 2030 through such sector oriented programmes like ARDA’s Vision 2030 Accelerator Irrigation Model.
Their incomes will increase drastically, contributing to the average income levels that are used a measuring tool for a country to be classified as an upper middle income economy.
This is the beginning of industrialisation of the rural areas.
Planning and vision President Mnangagwa said: “That is as a result of planning, as a result of vision.”
Development cannot effectively take place without holistic planning and a vision.
When one has a plan, it means there are definite targets and objectives to be achieved within a set period.
The broader vision of the country is to achieve an upper middle income economy by 2030, under Vision 2030.
Programmes like the Vision 2030 Accelerator Irrigation Model contribute drastically to achieving that status.