The Zimbabwean government has unveiled an ambitious plan to significantly boost its irrigation infrastructure to enhance national food security and advance rural modernisation and industrialisation. This update, presented by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka, outlines progress and future plans for the Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Plan.Approved in 2021, the plan aims to develop 350,000 hectares for summer irrigation by 2025. This expansion is expected to yield 1.8 million metric tonnes of summer cereals annually, ensuring adequate food supply based on a planned consumption rate of 120 kilograms per person per year, despite current consumption rates being lower.Historically, Zimbabwe’s irrigation area grew only 13% from 1980 to 2019, reaching 169,000 hectares. However, recent years have seen rapid progress, with the irrigated area increasing by 28% from 2019 to 2024, reaching 217,000 hectares. This rapid expansion is the result of the current plan, which has increased the average annual development of irrigable land from 487 hectares to 9,600 hectares.Zimbabwe possesses over 10.6 billion cubic meters of water across 10,600 dams, which could potentially irrigate 2.2 million hectares. The government plans to expand this to 496,000 hectares by 2030. Key strategies include developing irrigation around existing infrastructure and dams, promoting corporate and smallholder irrigation projects, and engaging the diaspora.On July 5, 2024, an Irrigation Investment Conference was held at the Harare International Conference Centre to foster private sector involvement in irrigation development. The conference attracted significant interest, leading to agreements worth US$226 million.This initiative represents a crucial step towards making Zimbabwe’s agriculture more resilient to climate change and securing the nation’s food supply.
