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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]

THE media fraternity has been urged to push the thrust of irrigation development being pursued by Government working with its partners as part of efforts to ensure food and nutrition security.

This was raised on Wednesday during a two day UNDP Global Climate Fund (GCF) media workshop in Masvingo being held in conjunction with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

The main objective of the workshop was to strengthen the strategic role of media advocacy on climate proofing agriculture and climate resilient livelihoods.

The workshop included a tour of climate proofed Pikinini Jawanda Irrigation Scheme project in Mwenezi being implemented under the Building Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Africa programme.

The programme is being implemented and co-funded by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development in partnership with Green Climate Fund and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The project started in June 2020 and will run up until June 2027. It is valued at US$47,8 million. The project is being implemented in 14 districts in three provinces namely Matabeleland South, Masvingo and Manicaland.

Speaking during the workshop, Ministry of Lands Agriculture Fisheries Water and Rural Development acting director communications and advocacy, Mrs Barbra Machekano said the country has 10 700 water bodies which can irrigate 10 000 hectares but at the moment about 2 000 ha is being irrigated. She said the target is to have more land placed under irrigation and the media has a role to play in information dissemination to promote stakeholder participation.

“We are inviting our colleagues from the fourth estate, our development partners such as UNDP to take lead and actively participate in this fight against climate change that has a negative impact on the socio-economic status of Zimbabwe and to our national food security.  As Government’s thrust is to develop smallholder irrigations in the country.

“The Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy incorporates the Accelerated Rehabilitation and Development Plan in which dam construction is accompanied by irrigation development. With Zimbabwe expected to become drier in the decades ahead due to climate change, acceleration of irrigation rehabilitation and development is required to sustain production of crops, fisheries, and livestock to meet local and increasing export demands,” she said.

Government seeks to transform 460 rural irrigation schemes into viable Irrigation Scheme Business Units (ISBU) under the Vision 2030 Accelerator model.and to increase area under irrigation from 203 000 ha to 350 000 ha.

Speaking on behalf of UNDP Green Climate Fund project manager, Mr Rungano Benza, UNDP Green Climate Fund communications officer, Mrs Pylaia Chembe said the Building Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Zimbabwe project will benefit about 2,3 million people.

She said as of December last year 419 824 beneficiaries had been reached.

“The project uses a multi stakeholder, market driven approach to climate adaptation of vulnerable smallholder agriculture. Women are given the opportunity to lead and contribute to addressing the issues of food security, livelihoods and water management. The project objective is to strengthen the resilience of agricultural livelihoods of vulnerable communities, particularly women in Southern Zimbabwe in the face of increasing climate risks and impacts,” she said.

@DubeMatutu