Contributing Positively To Food Systems (Smallholder Irrigation Revitalisation Programme)

  As one drives from Chipinge   to Chiredzi, during a hot summer day,   one is struck by the sparse vegetation in the area. A few trees are dotted in the landscape and both goats and people scramble for shade under these few trees.   The area has a semi arid climate and poor soils which make it difficult for many trees to grow. The demand for firewood, fencing   and thatching poles continues to grow as the area’s population continues to balloon. Recent, cumulative droughts, caused by climate change have worsened the situation.  It is not easy to grow crops such as maize in these areas due to erratic rains and lengthy dry spells. Farmers in irrigation schemes are more fortunate as they can access water all years round. In order to ensure food security for farmers in the adjacent rain fed areas, farmers grow traditional grains and have also diversified into livestock production which provides much needed protein. The livestock is often sold to get money f...

  We were parked under the huge Mopane tree near the agricultural extension office at Tshovani Irrigation Scheme. A few goats huddled under an acacia tree to seek shade from the harsh February sun. As we waited patiently, we heard the rumble of an engine before a green and white motor cycle and rider emerged from the curve on the road to the recently rehabilitated scheme. The rider   stopped his motorbike a few metres from us, removed his helmet to reveal a young face, perhaps in his   late twenties. As he disembarked from his motorcycle and started walking towards us, he cracked a wide smile.   His name was Brian Garwe, a new type of youth in the rural areas. Garwe is a farmer,   one of the 126 farmers at the recently rehabilitated 360 hectare Tshovani Irrigation Scheme in Chiredzi District of Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe. What sets him apart from the other farmers in the scheme is his age. Young people are often non-participants in agricultural activities...