Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
Government is in the process of identifying large tracts of land countrywide to be developed into large-scale irrigation schemes to boost agricultural production and ensure national food security. Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made told The Herald that Government also welcomed development partners for joint ventures to boost irrigation services.
He said Government had identified some irrigation projects and had already presented them to China. Minister Made said Zimbabwe was looking at how it could develop large scale irrigation schemes even along the Zambezi Valley as was being done in Zambia where there were various agricultural activities stretching from Livingstone.
He said Zambia was using Kariba Dam water stretching from Livingstone and the same could be done in Zimbabwe. “We are looking at how we can also come up with similar projects of that magnitude at the Zimbabwean side to deal with development of large scale irrigation schemes.
“We have already designed the projects, but funding has been the major challenge. We have already submitted some of these projects to China and we have been asked to speed up joint ventures relating to irrigation.”
“Those with interest — the same interest expressed on the maize programme, have been directed to look at that, not only along the Zambezi but throughout the country,” he said. Government has come up with various irrigation projects to reduce the effects of climate change.
Given the devastating effects of climate change being faced by the country, priority should be accorded to enhancing climate resilience and mitigation programmes in all climate sensitive sectors of the economy.
This includes scaling up on irrigation development, construction of water reservoirs, adaptation of low carbon and climate resilient development pathways, breeding of drought tolerant crop varieties, strengthening of early warning systems, among others.
Government views irrigation development as critical to raising productivity and output of the agriculture sector, thus improving standards of living, especially in drought prone farming areas.