THE government plan to rehabilitate 426 irrigation schemes across Zimbabwe is, on paper, one of the most promising interventions aimed at improving livelihoods and uplifting communities, particularly in drought-prone areas.
If properly implemented and fully supported, the programme has the potential to transform rural economies, strengthen food security and reduce poverty in a country that has long struggled with erratic rainfall patterns.
The rehabilitation of the Birchenough Bridge irrigation scheme offers a glimpse of what is possible.
Spanning 316 hectares, the scheme is already supporting 720 families who are producing wheat, maize, chillies, groundnuts and tomatoes.
This is not just farming activity.
It is livelihoods being restored, dignity being rebuilt and households being given a chance to stand on their own feet.
Such developments deserve commendation.
Self-sustenance lies at the heart of sustainable development.
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Communities that can feed themselves are better positioned to educate their children, access healthcare and participate meaningfully in the economy.
For a country like Zimbabwe, where agriculture is the backbone of livelihoods for millions, irrigation schemes are not a luxury, but a necessity.
Across Africa, irrigation has long been viewed as a solution to the continent’s vulnerability to climate change.
Rain-fed agriculture, which dominates much of the region, has become increasingly unreliable as climate patterns shift.
Droughts are more frequent, rainfall is erratic and planting seasons are unpredictable.
In the first place, irrigation schemes were designed to shield farmers from these uncertainties, allowing for year-round production and stable yields.
However, noble intentions alone are not enough.
The success of irrigation rehabilitation hinges on one critical factor: consistent and adequate funding.
Treasury must fully finance these projects to completion.
Half-finished canals, stalled pump installation and abandoned infrastructure serve no one.
Without sustained funding, the rehabilitation programme risks becoming another well-intentioned initiative that fails to deliver long-term impact.
Zimbabwe has walked this path before: Infrastructural projects launched with fanfare only to stall midway due to funding constraints, leaving communities disillusioned and resources wasted.
Irrigation schemes, in particular, require more than initial capital.
They demand ongoing maintenance, electricity or solar power for pumping systems, technical support and proper management structures at community level.
If funding gaps persist, the rehabilitation exercise will be futile at a time when the country urgently needs practical solutions to poverty alleviation and food insecurity.
There is also a lesson to be drawn from countries that have successfully used irrigation to transform their agricultural sectors.
China, often cited as a development model, did not merely announce ambitious projects.
It backed them with deliberate, long-term financing.
Large-scale irrigation, dam construction and rural infrastructure development were treated as national priorities, not optional expenditure.
The result is improved food security, rural industrialisation and reduced poverty.
If Zimbabwe is serious about “walking the path China has walked”, then it must equally walk the talk when it comes to financing.
Development cannot be achieved on promises alone.
It requires discipline, prioritisation and a willingness to channel resources where they yield the greatest social return.
The rehabilitation of irrigation schemes is a step in the right direction.
But for the programme to move from promise to prosperity, government must ensure that funding is predictable, transparent and sufficient.
Only then will irrigation schemes truly become engines of rural transformation rather than monuments to missed opportunity.
In the end, food security is national security.
And irrigation, properly funded and managed, is one of the strongest tools Zimbabwe has to secure its future.
