Impact of smallholder irrigation revitalisation programme on the exchange irrigation scheme in Kwekwe District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The Smallholder Irrigation Revitalisation Programme (SIRP), a seven-year programme which started in 2016 and ended in 2023,is one recent initiative rolled out in Zimbabwe to improve smallholder irrigation in arid to semi-arid areas. The main goal of the SIRP was to help rural households become resilient to the effects of climatic change and economic volatility while simultaneously achieving food and nutrition security. This study aimed to assess the impact of SIRP on the Exchange irrigation scheme in Kwekwe District, Zimbabwe. Quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments, namely a structured questionnaire and focus group discussions (FGDs), were used to obtain responses from the participants. A multistage cluster sampling method was used, and 134 irrigators, or 13.6% of the irrigators, were sampled from a sampling frame of 982 scheme beneficiaries. A purposive sampling method was used to select25 critical stakeholders for FGDs. Data was processed using SPSS software. Bar charts and tables were utilised to display the frequency distributions of responses graphically. Also, frequency distributions were used to summarise the response counts and percentages for each survey question. Results obtained established that while not without difficulties, smallholder irrigation has the potential to dramatically increase the incomes and quality of life for low-income rural communities in developing countries like Zimbabwe. The study concluded that despite the current challenges, SIRP is bringing about poverty alleviation and improving the livelihoods of the Exchange irrigation scheme households and the irrigation scheme's water use efficiency and profitability.