The government of Zimbabwe through President Mnangagwa has commissioned the Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme which aims to increase productivity.
The project started in 2015 and was funded to the tune of US $15m under the Japanese Grant Aid. The Department of Irrigation under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were involved in the rehabilitation and development of the facility.
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Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme
The irrigiation scheme included the construction of new pumping facilities, improving water level control, distribution and flow measurement. New canal structures were built, while existing ones were modified.
An overnight storage pond was also built, while pumps and flood protection structures for Blocks B, C and D pump stations that were damaged by floods in 2006 were repaired. A new irrigation infrastructure was installed on Block A, which has 146ha.
Small-scale irrigation is emerging as a top priority to boost food security, eradicate poverty and build resilience against climate change impacts. Smallholders are only able to succeed when they can manage their farm systems efficiently. New, easy-to-use tools and recently introduced opportunities to experiment and solve problems in collaboration with others allow farmers to become more efficient and their farms more profitable.
It has been lauded as key to building climate resilience by changing Zimbabwean governments.Small-scale irrigation has been lauded as key to building climate resilience by changing Zimbabwean governments however the scheme has failed in the past with poor water management and infrastructures carrying the blame
With this regard President Mnangagwa said, the government would in the next three years, prioritise the construction of dams and drilling of boreholes with a view to putting 100 000 hectares under irrigation.
