The increased prevalence of drought in Zimbabwe, particularly in the semi-arid parts of the country, has left many people’s livelihoods on edge.

For a long time now, in fact for far too long, the emphasis of anti-drought strategies in the country has been on short-term mitigation measures rather than on long-term programmes that are achievable and sustainable. The simple issue we must face here is that the current approach is not sustainable, especially considering that climate change has given birth to recurrent droughts and erratic rainfall patterns.

True to the Meteorological Services Department’s forecasts and advisories, the country has been receiving rain later than usual and experiencing longer mid-season dry spells due to climate change.

For that reason, over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture when the nation’s food security is on the line defies all logic and puts too many people at risk of hunger.

And a hungry nation cannot focus on development. Instead, it stagnates and then starts regressing.

The focus gist should be on preparedness, rehabilitation, prevention and planning around irrigation, mechanisation and agricultural inputs subsidies as opposed to planning for food aid every other year.

The nation requires a paradigm shift towards developing sustainable livelihoods for those populations most at risk to drought-induced shocks and the vagaries of the climate.

If poverty alleviation and sustainable food security are to be attained as envisioned in the nation’s economic blueprint — the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation — then irrigation and farm mechanisation should become permanent fixtures in the planning processes of national development, which includes the National Budget.

Zimbabwe already has a good dam network, and Government needs to invest in the rehabilitation that infrastructure that is failing so that farmers can harvest water during the rainy season to support irrigation.

Of course this will not come cheap. But then again, national development is not a cheap proposition and never has been anywhere in the world.

While in the short-term, it is expensive to invest in large dams and the accompanying irrigation schemes, the long-term benefits will be enormous.

The National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project, for example, would greatly deal with Bulawayo’s and the southern region’s water woes. Add irrigation schemes to that and the region will start to sustainably deal with the problem of food insecurity.

The same goes for Kunzvi Dam in Mashonaland East, Tuli-Manyange Dam in Matabeleland South and Tokwe-Mukosi in Masvingo.

Practices relating to the management of natural resources for the purposes of food security can never be overemphasised. They take centre stage in enhancing efficiency and reducing vulnerability to drought.

News coming through is that Government will this month commission 15 major irrigation schemes to ensure high maize yields even when the country experiences droughts or prolonged mid-season dry spells in the future.

Some of the country’s irrigation schemes that have been lying idle will be refurbished and brought back into use.

That is indeed a breath of fresh air because over the last couple of years, it has become apparent that shifting weather patterns are here to stay and we just have to adapt or die.

And for a nation, suicide is certainly not an option.

With the right policies in place, the dream of food self-sufficiency — to the point of exporting to other countries — is a dream that is well within our reach. Neighbouring Zambia, experiencing pretty much the same climatic changes as Zimbabwe, is managing to produce grain that is enough for its populace and more. Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi, the DRC, South Africa and Botswana could well all turn to Zambia for grain imports this year because that country has found the right mix to spur productivity.

Zambia is doing something right and Zimbabwe would do well to find out what it is and apply what it can to our own local context.

Apart from irrigation and mechanisation, inputs subsidies could also come in handy.

The sharing of risk between Government, the financial sector and farmers could be the much-needed panacea to national food security.

Subsidising agriculture will not only build the capacity of individuals and communities, it will also feed the entire nation.