Government through the Ministry of Agriculture has held a business engagement platform in Harare today under the seven year Small-holder Irrigation Revitalization Programme (SIRP) that is moving towards completion in 2023.
The initiative which was funded by farmers, NGOs, Private sector and government have a goal to improve food and nutrition in the country funded by farmers, NGOs, the private sector and the government.
During the business meeting ideas were shared on how to advance the potential of the country in agricultural based activities promoting small-holder farmers and expanding food security in the country.
SIRP was launched in 2017 and is expected to end in December 2023.
Speaking during the meeting, SIRP National project coordinator Mr Odreck Mukorera said SIRP has partners who are bringing in resources that include International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the government which are all contributing to expansion of small-holder farming communities.
“This programme has got partners who ate bringing in their resources from various angles, we do have IFAD bringing us a grant of 25 and a half million, we also have OFID which is the OPEC Fund who are coming in with about 29 percent and the government itself coming in with about 15 percent,” Mr Mukorera said.
Furthermore, he said their goal is to reduce the vulnerability of the households in the rural areas of small holder farmers, vulnerability to food and nutrition insecurity and building resilience in small holder farmers through the rehabilitation of “60 irrigation schemes.”
Mr Mukorera said SIRP is hoping to cover an area of 6100 hectare by end of the program which is encompassed by small holder farmers.
“ The area we are hoping to cover by the end of this program is 6100 hectare which according to the figures that we have had before is around 20 percent of all small holder irrigated area in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Women and youth are also part of the program according to Mr Mukorera, the program is making sure “Women are not left behind.”
“We also want to embrace the youth, we want to get them involved in agriculture so we do have various activities and programs that we have also lined up for the youths and we definitely again making sure that the women are not left behind,” Mr Mukorera said.
Areas being covered by SIRP with irrigation schemes include Masvingo, Matebeleland, Manicaland and Midlands.