Curse Or Blessing! Are Smallholder Irrigation Schemes Doomed to Succeed?

Abstract

The Government of Zimbabwe has identified irrigation development as a key enabler and accelerator of economic development in what is considered an agro-based economy, with agriculture accounting for at least 20% of GDP. There are two extreme policy and academic positions on the value of irrigation, particularly in the smallholder sector, with one arguing that smallholder irrigation development is viable and sustainable and the other arguing otherwise. Despite evidence of several shortcomings, the government and donors have maintained a renewed interest in smallholder irrigation development. The Zimbabwean government has consistently allocated at least 30% of its annual agricultural budget to irrigation development in recent years. Donors and multilateral institutions, on the other hand, have poured millions, if not billions, of dollars into various programme interventions over the years. The aim of the study was to determine whether smallholder irrigation schemes are a success or a failure, or rather a blessing or a curse. The study reviewed the literature on smallholder irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe. The review shows that smallholder irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe are contributing to food security and the rural economy, although there is no consensus among scholars to confirm that smallholder irrigation schemes are indeed a blessing.