Over K35 million for Chikwawa irrigation scheme

Tom Sangala July 27, 2015

400 1 minute read

One of the international organisations currently working in Chikwawa in response to floods disaster, has said it intends to spend US$65,000 towards boosting agriculture in Traditional Authority Maseya in the district.

Stephanos Foundation Executive Director Jos Joosse, said this on Friday during a field day visit in Kadzumba Irrigation scheme where the organisation has already spent US$35,000 towards promotion of irrigation.

After realising the adverse of climate change and its impact, Joosse said the organisation felt it necessary to promote irrigation farming to ease the problems of climate change for farmers to have bumper yields throughout the year.

He said people in the district have the will but lack financial and technical capacity to develop a substantial irrigation system which they can rely upon to sustain their livelihoods.

According to Joosse, the organisation has been working in the district distributing food to hunger-stricken families.

“The first thing is education, good management and second is to ensure that people are motivated to do their job. Motivation is an ideal resource for collaboration and that is what is happening here in Chikwawa for the scheme to be a success,” he said.

He said the foundation will distribute treadle pumps, drill wells and install solar power irrigation system as a way to overcoming the problems of climate change that have seen people in the district failing to harvest crops after rainy season due to either floods or drought.

Also speaking during the field visit, Chikwawa District Crops Officer, Lewis Lipenga said the foundation which supplied the communities with farm inputs and planting materials has enabled the farmers to replant after the devastating floods.

“With the assistance from Stephano Foundation we have been able to replant and almost 2,800 farmers have benefited from 4,000 metric tonnes of maize seeds which they have planted using residual moisture plus irrigation using treadle pumps,” Lipenga said.

Lipenga then commended Stephanos Foundation for facilitating the farmers training on good planting methodology which he said has enabled them to harvest twice this year just through irrigation system.