Project ID: 1051
Executive Board Document: EB-98-65-R-16-Rev-1

Smallholder Irrigation Support Programme

Inadequate and unreliable rainfall and the recurrent threat of drought in the dry areas of Zimbabwe restrict the potential for development of rainfed agriculture, on which the livelihoods of most smallholder farmers depend. For such farmers, irrigation represents the single most promising intervention for minimizing crop production risk, raising incomes and increasing food security. The objective of this seven-year IFAD-initiated programme, to be supervised directly by the Fund, will be to increase the incomes and food security of irrigating smallholder households and households in neighbouring communities on a sustainable basis. At the sectoral level, the programme will aim to enhance the institutional, policy and regulatory framework for smallholder irrigation; while at the scheme level, the programme will aim to ensure that farmers are themselves able to manage, operate and maintain fully operational and productive irrigation schemes. Special attention will be given to women, who constitute 70% of the farmers, to ensure their involvement in the process. The programme, which will be national in scope, will operate in the communal and resettlement area s of eight provinces and ultimately cover a total of 28 districts. It will aim at upgrading approximately 2 000 ha of existing schemes and developing approximately 500 ha of new irrigation schemes, with a target group of some 43 700, made up of some 12 100 plot owners and users, with the remainder being labourers and dependent traders. Innovative Features: The participatory development process, which is new within the context of Zimbabwe, will aim to establish a well-functioning and sustainable irrigation system, the management of which will be gradually assumed by the farmers themselves. The process will involve a series of discrete steps with rights and obligations at each stage. The establishment of coherent procedures and approaches for smallholder irrigation development can be used by the Government in attracting future subsector investment.

Loan amount:

SDR 8.7 million (approximately USD 12.1 million) on highly concessional terms.

Total programme costs:

Estimated at USD 19.3 million, of which USD 5.4 million will be provided by Denmark in the form of a grant, USD 0.2 million by the Government and USD 1.6 million by the beneficiaries.

Cooperating institution:

The project will be supervised directly by IFAD.