Underutilised irrigation schemes being fi xed
THE Government is inviting farmers in irrigation schemes that need rehabilitation to submit project proposals for the exercise, as part of the drive to enable schemes to operate at full capacity.
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary Dr John Basera said fixing of components such as generators, electricity transformers and water pumps was key in enabling more hectares to be used under irrigation.
“As the Ministry we have a budget that is set aside specifically for quick maintenance of irrigation schemes, therefore farmers should take advantage to get the programme to have their schemes rehabilitated,” he said.
The programme comes on the backdrop of many irrigation schemes dying from lack of proper maintenance, as farmers struggle to meet the expenses from their farming operations.
The Government is working to transform irrigation schemes into both production hubs and centres of business excellence to accelerate the attainment of an upper-middle income economy and rural industrialisation.
“The aim of Government policy is to support sustainable business models from the farmers mainly so that they can take farming as a business and in turn independently maintain and operate their irrigation schemes without the need to seek support from the Government or sponsors other than themselves,” said Dr Basera.
The Government has been training the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (Arda) scheme managers and extension officers on irrigation business management to assist farmers to run farming businesses for profitability and ensure continuous production.
“The objective is to decrease vulnerability of smallholder farmers to food and nutrition insecurity, climate change effects and economic shocks,” said Dr Basera stressing on the need for farmers to properly run the schemes for profitability.
The Government through various programmes, is fast tracking irrigation development as a strategic move that is set to boost agriculture production.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development created the Irrigation Development Alliance ( IDA) to nurture an environment conducive for accelerated irrigation growth amid climate change induced shocks.
The alliance is promoting investment in irrigation expansion by supporting partnerships between financial institutions, irrigation companies and farmers to enhance irrigation effectiveness.