Agroeconomic perfomance of smallholder irrigation in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The objectives of increasing agricultural production and incomes are common to all types of irrigation in Zimbabwe, though the relative importance given to different objectives varies somewhat among irrigation system types. Many factors influence the impact of irrigation on achieving these goals, and the delivery of water from the source to the fields is only one (albeit critical) input- Seeds, fertilisers, labour, management, and other inputs also have a major impact on the level of agricultural production, while the relative prices of inputs and outputs will affect the level of farm incomes obtained from irrigated production. The structure of irrigation management in Zimbabwe acknowledges that meeting the objectives of irrigation development requires going beyond water deliveries. Whereas many countries have specialised irrigation departments that have no mandate beyond providing water to the fields, in Zimbabwe the management entities for all types of irrigation systems commercial, government, community, and informal systems are responsible for coordinating the supply of inputs and information on their schemes to increase the overall productivity of irrigated agriculture.