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The Herald, 1 April 2002

THE political leadership in the drought-prone Masvingo province has approached the three sugar plantations in the South-Eastern Lowveld for an emergency maize production package.

The politicians want an emergency winter crop to be grown in the sugar plantations where there are already established irrigation systems.

Under the Masvingo food initiative, Vice President Simon Muzenda, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Stan Mudenge, Higher Education Minister Sam Mumbengegwi and Governor Josaya Hungwe met the representatives of Hippo Valley, Triangle and Mkwasine sugar estates.

The politicians requested the sugar estates to temporarily offer land in their plantations where maize can be put under irrigation, specifically to cushion the effects of the current drought.

“We want land to plant maize now and feed the nation within the next three months. We would have wanted the land yesterday so that we could produce the maize tomorrow.

“Our people are dying and we know the sugar plantations have already established irrigation systems.

“Of course, we will import our maize from Brazil or Argentina, but we want to move fast and get it right here,” said VP Muzenda.

Masvingo has more than seven huge dams supplying water to the lowveld from sugar irrigation and all the dams are still full, yet the province is hard hit by a critical shortage of food.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

The problem in drought-prone areas is not about rainfall being in short supply each year, but about a lack of means and ways to make use of the water that is available.

Water harvesting systems, where water resources are redirected and stored in ponds and dams to be used for supplementary irrigation during droughts and dry spell periods, have great potential in drought mitigation.

Dependence on rain-fed agriculture needs to be discouraged from communal farmers right up to commercial farmers, as weather patterns are becoming unpredictable each year.

Water harvesting has been a key activity in several commercial farmers around Zimbabwe’s provinces and has improved the stability of crop yields and can raise productivity.

On March 13, 2020, the Government of Zimbabwe, said it has an agriculture recovery plan targeting 5 000 irrigation farmers, a move that is aimed at improving food production.

Access to safe and reliable water supplies for domestic, livestock, agricultural and commercial use  has  been one of the main goals of national development for the New Dispensation under President Mnangagwa.