Irrigation Development: A Food Security and Household Income Perspective

Abstract

For instance, Rukuni, et, al (1990) state that the largest number of food insecure households in Zimbabwe lives in natural regions IV and V, and accessing food through dry land production www.intechopen.com Problems, Perspectives and Challenges of Agricultural Water Management

The contribution of small-scale rural irrigation schemes towards food security of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe

“…However, according to the farmers, the use of irrigation enabled them to produce surpluses such that even the poor had access to the food because of its abundance in the community. This is in line with the findings of Nhundu and Mushunje (2012) that irrigation farming can increase household food security in areas with poor rainfall, not only for the farmers but also for the rest of the community. Furthermore, the findings concur with SDG1, which emphasises that agriculture is a potent force for poverty reduction, especially in many developing countries (OECD 2016).…”

“…The dimension of availability refers to a situation where households have a better and more sustainable availability of food through either production or buying of the food stuff (Christine et al 2008). The second dimension of food access refers to the ability of households to acquire food through production, purchases in the market from income earned from transfers (Nhundu & Mushunje 2012). FAO (1996) further indicates that the third dimension of food utilisation places much emphasis on the ability by households to have a balanced diet of the food that is nutritious, whereas the last dimension of stability speaks to a situation where food is more solid and offers constant food supply throughout the year especially during periods of stresses and shocks and in terms of seasonality.…”

“…In Zimbabwe, the history of irrigation development for smaller holder farmers became prominent in the early 1980s when the new government partnered with several development agencies in establishing small-scale irrigation schemes mainly for the rural communities (Nhundu & Mushunje 2012). Thus, the Government of Zimbabwe in 1982 partnered with the European Micro Project Programme in funding the establishment of smallholder irrigation schemes across the country.…”

“…Thus, the Government of Zimbabwe in 1982 partnered with the European Micro Project Programme in funding the establishment of smallholder irrigation schemes across the country. Furthermore, it is indicated that this was necessitated by the fact that many black smallholder farmers were restricted to arid regions where the soils were poor and with little rainfall; hence, the schemes were developed as a famine relief strategy (Nhundu & Mushunje 2012). However, over the years, several such schemes stopped operations owning to the fact of dilapidated infrastructure and lack of capacity to maintain the equipment.…”

“…Furthermore, it has been noted that the wealth accumulated because of farming through irrigation will also act as a guarantee to food security in the event of crop failure and that irrigation farming helps in generating employment as well as encouraging farmers to produce an average of 2–3 times a year (Food and Agriculture Organisation [FAO] 2000). The development of smallholder irrigation schemes has been found increasing the potential for more production especially through countering the mid-season and periodic dry spells, thus households are able to grow crops more than once in a year (Nhundu & Mashunje 2012. This reflects that irrigation development for smallholder farmers helps in cushioning households in times of food insecurity and at the same time leading to various income-generating activities in the rural economy (FAO 2000).…”