The Sunday Mail
By Allen Mutyambizi and Padmore Paradzayi
ln his lndependence Day speech this year, President Robert Mugabe mentioned the National Irrigation policy, which the Government should adopt as a measure to mitigate climate change effects
Investing in water infrastructure and irrigation is not only necessary for food security but an indispensable shield against climate change related rainfall variability.
ln his lndependence Day speech at National Sports Stadium on April 18 this year, President Robert Mugabe mentioned the National Irrigation policy, which the Government should adopt as a measure to mitigate climate change effects.
The President’s announcement of the policy should be commended and translated into reality. A strengthened water sector is indispensable for agricultural productivity and will present opportunities for improved food security in the country.
It is no doubt that most Zimbabweans depend heavily on agriculture, and this means that the greatest potential for productivity and economic growth lies in irrigating our land. In this regard, urgent action is needed at national level to come up with a policy to address both the over-dependence on rain-fed crop production (which is exacerbated by climate change-induced natural hazards such as droughts and floods) and the inadequate water control and irrigation infrastructure.
Land and water management is one of the four pillars of food security identified by the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). CAADP is a programme which was established by the AU in 2003 to spearhead productivity and increase investment in the agricultural sector by at least 6 percent and 10 percent respectively per year.
It is unequivocal that Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector consumes between 70 to 80 percent of available water resources. Considering that the country has been facing erratic rainfall patterns for the previous years, it is prudent for the Government to come up with robust strategies for investing in water infrastructure.
Climate change in Zimbabwe has already caused increased variability of rainfall and intensity and frequency of extreme events, including droughts, floods and storms. These impacts are mostly experienced by large rural populations (small scale and communal farmers) dependent on rain-fed agriculture.
The World Bank group paper projected that there will be significant reduction in rainfall by 2050 in Zimbabwe and recommended that policymakers should develop an integrated climate change strategy for the agriculture and water sectors.
It also encourages rehabilitating and expanding water supply and water resources infrastructure. In a rapidly changing climate, policy-makers are confronted by the challenge to make domestic production keep pace with the growth of demand for food while ensuring that agricultural productivity is not adversely affected by climate change.
One of the primary challenges for managing water in this scenario is to strengthen water security in terms of the availability of, and access to adequate quality water to meet the health, livelihoods, ecosystem and production needs of populations.
Dr Gideon Gono, former RBZ Governor, in his first quarter Monetary Policy Statement of 2005, admitted that changes in climatic conditions and weather patterns indicate recurring drought conditions for the Sadc countries and recommended that there is need to invest in dam construction in every province of the country, followed by a meticulous irrigation infrastructure development program.
It is no doubt that the irrigation sub-sector is currently facing many challenges including inadequate funding and investment by public and private sector. In this regard, the adoption and implementation of the policy will therefore facilitate coordinated development of the sub-sector. This will enable and encourage accelerated development of irrigation infrastructure, increased productivity per unit volume of water, increased water harvesting and storage, improved scheme management, enhanced stakeholder participation and improved business orientation in the sector.
