POOR harvests were recorded in past cropping seasons due to erratic rainfall patterns, confirming the importance of moving away from reliance on rain-fed agriculture.
Most farmers do not irrigate crops citing poor or lack of irrigation systems resulting in the wilting of crops and poor yields.
Government has been called upon to come up with meaningful contribution towards the setting up of viable irrigation infrastructure that can adequately sustain and guarantee the country food security in the face of drought.
Irrigation facilities need to be upgraded or resuscitated if maximum yields are to be achieved, pundits contend.
Effects of climate change continue to be experienced in the country with hopes for successful cropping seasons having been shattered by the shifting and shortened seasons.
As part of efforts to enhance agricultural activities, Government has embarked on a programme to rehabilitate and establish irrigation schemes.
Heeding calls from stakeholders, Government has put in place a special irrigation development programme to rehabilitate old irrigation schemes and set up new infrastructure.
Under the Command Irrigation initiative, land covering 300 000 hectares will be put under irrigation.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made said: “Command Irrigation will be implemented in a systematic way whereby irrigation projects will be set along major rivers and all water bodies.
“This programme is targeting all forms of farmers and key institutions like prisons services farms, churches and school farms among others.”
It is refreshing to note that those with access to irrigation schemes are making the most of them.
With the effects of climate change worsening, Zimbabwe, which has one of the largest number of dams in Africa, should not be found wanting.
Instead resources should be channelled towards the resuscitation of irrigation facilities.
Prevailing conditions, according to economist Elliot Lumbe, point to the need to develop a vibrant irrigation system.
“Research has shown that in Natural Regions III, IV and V, rainfall is erratic and unreliable, making dry-land cultivation a risky venture. The success rate of rain-fed agriculture in Natural Regions IV and V has been known to be in the order of one good harvest in every four to five years,” said Lumbe.
“Only 37 percent of the country receives rainfall considered adequate for agriculture and the severe effects of climate change make the development of a vibrant irrigation system critical.”
Natural Region I is a specialised and diversified farming region.
The region is suitable for forestry, fruit as well as intensive livestock production and smallholder farmers now occupy a significant space in the area after benefitting from the land redistribution exercise.
In Natural Region II, flue-cured tobacco, maize, cotton, sugar beans and coffee can be grown while sorghum, groundnuts, seed maize, barley and various horticultural crops also thrive.
Irrigation is required for winter wheat in the region where animal husbandry like poultry, cattle for dairy and meat is also practised.
This productive region also has a significant number of smallholder farmers.
Natural region III is a semi-intensive farming region where large-scale crop production covers only 15 percent of the arable land and most of the land is used for extensive beef ranching.
The region is subject to periodic seasonal droughts, prolonged mid-season dry spells and unreliable starts of the rain season.
Irrigation is critical in the region to guarantee successful crop production.
Natural regions IV and V are too dry for successful crop production without irrigation, but communal farmers have had no choice but to grow crops in these areas even without access to irrigation.
Millet and sorghum are the common crops but maize is also grown.
Communal farmers occupy 50 percent of the area of Natural Region IV and 46 percent of the area of Natural Region V.
And the one common fact of the regions is the need for irrigation to ensure sustainable crop production.
As Government steps up responsive measures, it must intensify its work on resuscitating the country’s irrigation schemes.
With vast amounts of arable land and water sources in the form of dams on many farms, the country must be in a position to carry out agricultural activities throughout the year without depending on the rains.