By Owen Mudadisi (VhatTech Blue), William Madudike (VhatTech Blue) & Nilu Rajapakse (IWMI)
Erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts have become the new norm in East and Southern Africa (ESA), exacerbated by climate change and El Niño-induced impacts. The semi-arid Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe is no exception. Smallholder farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with erratic and prolonged dry spells. They largely depend on rain-fed agriculture, as do farmers in the rest of the region. With unpredictable and extreme weather on the rise, retaining and accessing water for crops has become an arduous task. Urgent climate adaptation strategies are needed to ensure food security and livelihoods—and agricultural water management is a primary hurdle.
There is a silver lining, however. The region boasts high river networks and groundwater availability with a significant highly irrigable land area of 88.4%. Coupled with abundant solar irradiation for solar energy, low-cost and low emission irrigation approaches hold tremendous potential.
In 2023, the CGIAR Initiative for Diversification in East and Southern Africa (Ukama Ustawi), led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), embarked on a project to develop and demonstrate smallholder solar irrigation systems in targeted rural sites in Zimbabwe. Commissioned by the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex), Zimbabwe’s principal extension agency, the livelihood improvement exercise aimed to create sustainable irrigation solutions for smallholder farmers, scalable across the region. To this end, IWMI’s decades of experience in delivering sustainable irrigation solutions for the global south were invaluable.
Receiving “irrigation attention”
IWMI has a track record for developing affordable, climate-smart irrigation solutions, targeting the context-specific needs of smallholder farmers in the global south. As the CGIAR center that looks at water security in the global south, IWMI’s breadth of expertise in agricultural water management is crucial to achieving Ukama Ustawi’s (UU) overarching goal to diversify and sustainably intensify maize-based farming systems for improved food and nutritional security in ESA. UU selected the arid and semi-arid districts of Makonde, Masvingo, and Murehwa, after an initial study, as the three irrigable districts to pilot a best-fit irrigation system consisting of a solar powered pump. Stand-alone solar pumps are widely recognized as key investments for improved food production, food security, and poverty reduction. Makonde was the first district in Zimbabwe to receive irrigation attention in this way. To find the right irrigation solution for a given area, IWMI’s first step is to carry out an irrigation suitability mapping, followed by a ‘ground truthing’ exercise to confirm the remotely sensed findings on the ground. The team found drip-irrigation to be the most suitable irrigation system, supported by solar-powered pumps to extract groundwater.
Together we thrive
UU’s core strength lies in its partnerships and collaborative approach. And this has been consistently helpful in engaging stakeholders at all levels to get together and develop science-based, context-specific solutions that are easy to adopt and potentially scalable across smallholder communities. What seals project success, however, is placing the farmer community at the heart of the action, with input and support coming from researchers, extension services, and other partners.
IWMI and local partners are collaborating on this project to address the district’s low rainfall and food insecurity. The selection of the irrigation site and the subsequent system was based on integrated mapping exercises and ground truthing to verify data.
Tinashe Lindel Dirwai, Project Lead
The atmosphere of learning and co-creation throughout the project—from the initial study to selecting the appropriate irrigation system and the results achieved by farmers on the ground—made it easier to close the gap between research and practice. Farmers also learned the installation, operation, and maintenance of drip lines and along with best practices which practically empowered the farmers to assume ownership and champion the irrigation system among the rest of their community. This work also addressed the gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) dimension. And to solve problems on the ground, understanding the needs of each individual farmer is vital. This feat is best accomplished by the extension service that speaks ‘both languages.’ They are the essential conduit between science and practice, continuously keeping farmers up-to-date and connected while informing research of the evolving changes in climate, farming practices, and market conditions as they happen. This ongoing dialog keeps the main actors on course, helping them to adapt better.
We use a participatory approach in our research, engaging the community in the co-creation and co-design of solutions to water challenges. Through inclusive workshops and meetings, we ensure that women, men and youth all have an equal voice. Our goal is to develop a unified Community Vision, representing the diverse perspectives and needs of all stakeholders involved.
Dennis Junior Choruma, IWMI Researcher – Land, Water and Soil Solutions
The farmers’ palpable enthusiasm is the direct result of the tangible benefits they reaped in their farms and livelihoods due to the newly introduced irrigation system. The beneficiary farmer’s willingness to share harvested water with their neighbors further demonstrates this sentiment. The Makonde irrigation system now irrigates 3 hectares and benefits 3 households of about 20 people—a feather in the cap for UU’s ‘community of spirit’ and a beacon of hope for the resource-constrained farmers. Judith, a woman farmer in Makonde, works alongside her family, contributing side-by-side in all farming activities.
It was very hard for us before. This irrigation system has been very good for us. We are happy with this system because we are going to get something from it.
Judith, woman farmer from the Makonde
The Makonde irrigation model is a case in point for the transformative potential of sustainable water management practices and the exponential benefits of the collaborative approach. Ongoing conservation agriculture trials by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) further strengthened UU’s work in Makonde encouraging collaborative research.
Scaling out and scaling up
Following Makonde’s noteworthy success, UU plans to target more farmers and households in need of irrigation facilities and provide them with fit-for-purpose technologies that address the needs on the ground. The next phase will link farmers to financing institutions and markets, strengthening the agribusiness ecosystem.
As a region that comprises low- and middle-income countries, Sub-Saharan Africa needs a multi-pronged approach to enhance its climate adaptability. The ideal approach would need integrated and inclusive financing models for different irrigation developments; robust climate information services that provide real-time, long-term data; climate-smart agricultural water management pathways and typologies; innovative models that recognize the water-energy-food nexus challenges; proactive disaster risk-reduction strategies; stronger and wider extension services; and a deeper understanding of the dynamics between social transformation and climate resilience, among others. Collaboration and co-designing are imperative for tackling the challenges faced by rural communities and providing targeted and context-sensitive solutions. Keeping track of the progress of farmers while providing them with ongoing technical support on the ground is essential for smallholder resilience and long-term agricultural sustainability to drive food and nutrition security in Africa.