Abstract
Smallholder farmers across Zimbabwe have been facing a problem of food insecurity because of climate-induced droughts and lack of effective use of irrigation schemes. Rainfall patterns in the country have become more unpredictable and inconsistent with the traditional farming seasons. Faced with such challenges, many smallholder farmers in Shurugwi district in the Midlands province of Zimbabwe adopted small-scale irrigation schemes to improve food security. The principal objectives of this study were to examine the status of the irrigation schemes in the district; analyse the need to rehabilitate small-scale irrigation schemes; assess the initiatives towards the revival of irrigation schemes; establish the benefits that can accrue to smallholder farmers from small-scale irrigation schemes and discuss challenges faced by smallholder farmers in the running of small-scale irrigation schemes in rural areas. This qualitative study employed literature and interviews to obtain data from 40 purposively selected participants. The direct observation method was used to compliment the interviews. The findings of the study were that small-scale rural irrigation schemes have the capacity to significantly transform the lives of rural farmers through earning increased reliable income from farming if institutional and capacity issues of the farmers are addressed. Furthermore, the study found that small-scale irrigation schemes can also be a panacea to food security challenges mainly faced by rural households. As such, the article concluded that irrigation schemes are fortress and antidote to the effects of climate change. The study calls for capacity promotion on technical skills for the farmers, the establishment of many new irrigation schemes and the rehabilitation of the existing small-scale irrigation schemes in the country as well as calling on the farmers to adopt climate-smart irrigation.
Highlights
The adoption of irrigation schemes is an essential policy to eradicate poverty and improve food security for many governments across Africa
Ruchanyu irrigation scheme is run by 85 smallholder farmers, whilst Gutsaruzhinji is managed by 42 smallholder farmers
The move to promote food security of the vulnerable communities is an effort to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is relevant to SDG1 and SDG2 that aim to end extreme poverty in all forms by 2030 and to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable, respectively
Summary
Moyo et al (2017) reflect that in semi-arid regions, rainfall is erratic and unreliable for dry farming It is under such circumstances, that irrigation schemes become very critical for the success of agriculture, with approximately 80% of agricultural land in Zimbabwe lying in arid and semi-arid regions (Moyo et al 2017). Under such circumstances, that irrigation schemes become very critical for the success of agriculture, with approximately 80% of agricultural land in Zimbabwe lying in arid and semi-arid regions (Moyo et al 2017) This may be the reason why the largest number of food-insecure households in Zimbabwe are mostly found in ecological regions 4 and 5. Communal households in these regions find it difficult to grow food on dry land, given the prevailing negative factors such as high temperatures, high incidences of agricultural failures and low rainfall
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