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Tanaka Mahanya, Correspondent

Recently, Government, through the Department of Irrigation Development recuperated more than 11 000 hectares and developed 750 hectares of irrigation schemes to boost productivity to ensure household and national food security.

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement deputy director for irrigation development, Engineer Bezzel Chitsungo, said the department was working towards rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure using the target under the Public Service Investment Programme (PSIP), to increase areas under irrigation from the estimated 170 000 hectares that are functional nationally to at least 300 000 hectares.

Government has gone a step further in fighting poverty at the grassroots across the country, and to guarantee quality crop yields through effective irrigation schemes.

This is made possible through prospecting and drilling of water sources as well as maintenance and renovation of dam and irrigation schemes by the District Development Fund (DDF).

Following the completion of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme, the thrust now is on full, efficient and sustainable utilisation of allocated land, for increased investment and production in the agriculture sector.

Under Vision 2030, Government has come up with an irrigation master plan to rehabilitate and establish irrigation facilities to cover 2,5 million hectares. 

This will boost production across the country’s vast arable and underutilised tracts of land, channelling water from several dams whose waters remain idle.

 Refurbishment of irrigation schemes will ensure youth and women participation and empowerment in agricultural activities all year round, due to easy access to irrigation water.

The District Development Fund is a Government department meant to provide and maintain sustainable rural water supplies and maintenance in communal and resettlement areas so as to uplift the living standards of rural people.

It is also tasked with the development and maintenance of infrastructure, water supplies, road services and upkeep of equipment as well as tillage services.

Rural and urban development programmes are important in improving the livelihoods of people in rural settings.

Therefore, Government should give priority to irrigation schemes in the national agenda as this will help in fighting poverty.

The Government should avail more resources, particularly to infrastructure such as roads and irrigation equipment to ensure that rural and urban areas easily access water for their crops, to promote agricultural development.

Also, revival of irrigation schemes should be done across the whole country to ensure food security at national level.

In addition, the Government should ensure that there are independent structures at the grassroots to monitor achievements, progress and development of projects as well as detect unprofessional conduct leading to embezzlement of development funds.

The Government should partner with non-governmental organisations and private companies to ensure productivity on the land by renovating irrigation schemes for the country to be food secure.