By Taurai Matunhu
Government is utilising the role of irrigation development as it has proved to be a guarantee to food security through increased crop production.
This was said by Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos after a field visit at Loozani Farm in the Midlands province for the Winter Wheat Crop, where Mrs. Tsitsi Mbudzi has represented the potential of our women farmers.
“The Government of Zimbabwe’s objective for irrigation development is to guarantee food security through increased crop production. Tremendous strides have been made by the government, the private sector and the donor community in the area of irrigation development.
“In the face of climate change, the Government of Zimbabwe has recognized the role of irrigation development as a key drought mitigation measure in arid and semi-arid regions. Rainfall in the Midlands Province is too erratic and unreliable for dryland farming alone, making supplementary irrigation necessary for successful agriculture,” he said.
In addition, Minister Haritatos said, “Irrigation, therefore, acts as a mitigating measure against droughts and mid-season dry spells, which enables irrigators to grow crops throughout the year and intensify production. The Ministry is committed to provide an enabling environment to ensure quick recovery of the irrigation schemes and the Ministry has come up with an Agricultural Recovery Plan which focuses on reversing the declining production trends of wheat, soya beans, and maize.”
He further highlighted Government’s ardent interest to improve the livelihoods of rural communities hence its passionate drive to enhance small-holder irrigation.
“The Government is keen to improve agriculture and enhance productivity through smallholder irrigation as one of the key strategies for alleviating poverty and improving the livelihoods of rural communities,” he said.
The recovery of the economy depends also on the recovery of agriculture and it will help in President Emmerson Mnangagwa's Vision 2030 of making Zimbabwe an Upper-Middle Income Economy.
