The Government has announced an ambitious plan to expand Zimbabwe’s irrigated land to 496,000 hectares by 2030 as part of efforts to strengthen food security, increase grain production and build a climate-resilient agricultural sector.
Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development Anxious Masuka said irrigation remains at the centre of Zimbabwe’s agricultural transformation, with Government increasing investments in state-owned estates, community irrigation schemes and partnerships with private farmers.
He said the national irrigation expansion programme is designed to reduce the country’s reliance on rain-fed agriculture while promoting year-round agricultural production.
Masuka said the Government intends to expand Zimbabwe’s irrigated land to 496,000 hectares by 2030, a move expected to enhance climate resilience, improve agricultural productivity and strengthen long-term national food security.
As part of the programme, the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) is expected to increase irrigated land across its estates from the 2,500 hectares cultivated during the past season to 25,000 hectares by 2030.
“This past season, 2,500 hectares was put on ARDA estates, the 24 or so estates, and we hope that by 2030 they will be able to do 25,000 hectares all irrigated,” Masuka said.
Beyond the ARDA estates, Masuka said Zimbabwe has 460 irrigation schemes covering approximately 26,000 hectares, of which 341 are currently operational.
He said the schemes have been reorganised into business units under the Vision 2030 Accelerator Model to improve efficiency, productivity and accountability.
He added that the operational schemes are producing crops on between 13,000 and 19,000 hectares under contractual arrangements, with grain deliveries contributing to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
Masuka said the Government’s irrigation programme also extends to communal, A1 and A2 farmers through joint venture arrangements aimed at expanding production beyond state-owned farms.
“But ARDA also goes further and contracts directly with farmers, communal A1 and A2, under a joint venture framework. So this delivery, although denoted ARDA, represents many sectors and many farmers,” he said.
The Government says expanding irrigation is essential to reducing the effects of climate change and erratic rainfall while ensuring stable agricultural production throughout the year.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, increasing grain deliveries are helping replenish the Strategic Grain Reserve, improve national food availability, reduce dependence on imports, support rural livelihoods and ensure a reliable supply of grain for millers and industry.
The irrigation expansion programme forms part of the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which aims to build a productive, resilient and food-secure agricultural sector in support of Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 economic transformation agenda.
