Form joint ventures, small farmers urged

Smallholder irrigation farmers here have been challenged to embrace contract farming and consider joint ventures to attract capital and boost productivity.

The call was made by Zaka district crops and livestock production officer Mr Kennedy Pedzisai, who lauded joint ventures for attracting capital and boosting infrastructure.

He said smallholder irrigation farmers had potential to boost food security in arid regions such as Zaka, while lamenting the poor state of infrastructure at most of the schemes.

Addressing farmers and extension field officers during a workshop organised by LEAD, a non-governmental organisation, at Jerera Growth Point recently, Mr Pedzisai urged farmers close to water bodies to fully exploit them to produce food.

Mr Pedzisai said the new administration led by President Mnangagwa prioritised harnessing of all water bodies to boost food production and make Zimbabwe a major food exporter.

Several smallholder irrigation schemes have been battling under the weight of a plethora of challenges, particularly dilapidated infrastructure and obsolete pumps.

Mr Pedzisai lamented that even bigger schemes in the dry district such as Fuve-Panganai, Mabvute, Nyatare and Devure were operating way below capacity owing to a myriad of challenges.

He said joint ventures and embracing contract farming was the way to go.

“Government has already made it clear through the Command Agriculture initiative that communal irrigation schemes should enter into contract farming and joint ventures with those with capital so that there is investment to procure things such as centre pivots, new pumps and rehabilitate canals because all we want is to make sure that all water bodies in the district are optimally used,’’ said Mr Pedzisai.

The crops and livestock production officer said plot-holders who underutilise land at irrigation schemes risked being kicked out.

“Farmers are being given ample time to make sure water bodies near them are fully utilised to produce food and those who will remain adamant will lose their plots because Government is very serious about the need to make our nation food self-sufficient using our abundant water bodies,” he said.

Government, said Mr Pedzisai, will assess the performance of contract farmers to boost productivity on farms over the next three to five years.