…conventional strategies to enhance water availability

IN the last episode we looked at ways of combating the effects of climate change-induced drought through traditional ways of improving the rainfall situation.
We made reference to several African rain-making ceremonies that have been practised over thousands of years.
We bemoaned the abandonment of African traditions due to colonisation riding on Christianity.
Today we will look at irrigation, an area generally considered a preserve of large-scale farmers.
Former white farmers had set up an elaborate irrigation infrastructure on most farms.
We met some of them back in 1999 when we joined the second phase of the commercial farm settlement scheme that was co-ordinated by the Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (ARDA).
We were invited to a field day in the Doma area around Mhangura in Makonde District and one of my black colleagues remarked that there seemed to be a myriad of small dams all over the place.
One of these white farmers explained how it came about that there were dams big and small dotted all over the large-scale white-owned farms.
He pointed out that mid-season droughts were a major threat to agricultural productivity on their farms.
One could have a beautiful maize or tobacco crop that would suddenly be devastated by a two-week dry spell.
Without supplementary irrigation, huge yield losses were experienced even in areas where the average annual rainfall was considered adequate for crop production.
This is the curse of mid-season droughts that still haunt even the black resettled farmers of today.
But the truth is that drought cycles are a common phenomenon in Zimbabwe.
They are marked by low annual rainfall, erratic rainfall patterns including extended mid-season droughts.
Sometimes the rains arrive late and cut off early before the crops have matured.
Boreholes run dry and rivers and dams may also run dry.
Pastures wither and large numbers of cattle are lost.
The above scenario is playing out now in Zimbabwe.
Surprisingly, recent media reports indicated that Zimbabwe has the largest volume of impounded water in sub-Saharan Africa.
Indeed frequent droughts taught the white farmers to build dams to store water.
The strategy to minimise the negative effects of drought is to harvest water by various means including dams, reservoirs and boreholes.
Appropriate infrastructure is required to distribute the stored water onto the agricultural lands.
Presently, much of the irrigation infrastructure on farms previously owned by whites is in a state of disrepair.
The current drought is fast teaching all of us to work to install irrigation facilities.
An elaborate national programme to rehabilitate irrigation infrastructure on farms is urgently needed.
Some of the irrigation systems may be inefficient and will need to be replaced.
Our Government has led the way by distributing irrigation equipment sourced from Brazil among A1 smallholder farmers.
Bringing smallholder farmers on to the irrigation technology platform will go a long way in stabilising and improving agricultural productivity.
These initiatives must be complemented by strong technical and advisory support
The huge dams along the Manyame River such as Chivero, Darwendale, Biri and Mazvikadei must be exploited through a deliberate programme to mobilise irrigation facilities for farmers located along the river.
Collectively, those dams can support an irrigated crop to supply more than 50 percent of the country’s food requirements.
All that is required is commitment and political will on the part of Zimbabweans to move out of the poverty and hunger traps that seem to haunt us today.
There is need for the relevant authorities to develop a national plan for resuscitating existing derelict infrastructure and for installing new irrigation systems.
A well-planned scheme will see farmers mobilised to grow crops for established markets.
Technical services companies will be brought on board to support the farming and irrigation activities.
The revenues generated from the farming enterprises will service the bank loans required to finance these elaborate schemes.
I was looking at all the small dams and water pools along those rivers that have not silted up yet.
Recent rains, though late for some crops, have filled huge pools along every stream.
This water can be pumped on to adjoining lands to irrigate late planted crops such as maize and sugar beans.
That would turn a hopeless season into bumper harvests.
Enabling technologies are now available.
Whereas irrigation pumps were out of reach a few years back, today even smallholder farmers can sell a beast-or-two and afford to buy a five-horsepower pump unit.
Such a unit can irrigate enough land to raise a healthy cereal or horticultural crop for the market.
Supplementary irrigation also can be supplied to any crops within reach of the dam or river.
A few weeks ago, I met a small-scale farmer from the Yomba area near Raffingora.
He was on his way to Harare to buy a pump unit to be powered by his tractor through a power take off (PTO) unit.
I talked out of that idea, advising him to buy a simple diesel or petrol pump unit to draw water from the Manyame River on to his field just metres from the river’s edge.
A few days ago, I met him again and he was all smiles.
He thanked me for advising him.
At a cost of US$180, he was now the proud owner of a 5,5 HP petrol-powered water pump.
He had now designed a sprinkler system and had sold two cattle to get funds to purchase pipes and fittings to irrigate a hectare of maize and horticultural crops this coming winter.
Several smallholder farmers are now establishing irrigation schemes powered by these small affordable pumps.
The time is ripe for a promotion programme to encourage small farmers to irrigate portions of their arable land.
This way, the nation will alleviate the effects of hunger and malnutrition associated with drought-induced crop failure.
During a United Nations-funded survey of dams in the communal areas in the early 1990s, we found many under-utilised large dams.
We also identified irrigable land within reach of these dams that could be irrigated to provide food to local communities.
These dams are still under-utilised and can be exploited for irrigated crops to alleviate hunger, malnutrition and poverty.
Several irrigation schemes have been developed in different local communities across Zimbabwe.
Nyanyadzi is one of several famous examples.
Our current drought challenges should serve as a wake-up call for the rehabilitation of these irrigation schemes, while new ones should be established close to under-utilised dams and other water sources.
Unless we have a secret for remaining poor, Zimbabwe should bounce out of its current food insecurity, mobilise its water resources and grow enough food for its population and for export.
The struggle for food and nutrition security continues.
Victory is certain!