Socio-economic analysis of revitalisation of irrigation schemes case of Insukamini irrigation scheme Gweru district, Zimbabwe

Abstract

One recent program implemented in Zimbabwe to enhance smallholder irrigation in arid to semi-arid regions is the Smallholder Irrigation Revitalization Initiative (SIRI), a seven-year program that began in 2016 and ended in 2023. The SIRI's primary objective was to achieve food and nutrition security while assisting rural households in becoming more resilient to the impacts of economic volatility and climate change. The objective of this study was to evaluate the socioeconomic analysis of the revitalization of the Insukamini irrigation scheme in Zimbabwe's Gweru area. Participants' answers were gathered using both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, including focus group discussions (FGDs), key informants, and a structured questionnaire. 68 irrigators were sampled using a multistage cluster sampling technique. As the Insukamini irrigation scheme was split into four blocks—Block A, Block B, Block C, and Block D, 17 scheme beneficiaries were chosen using a stratified random sampling technique to ensure that the sample represented all irrigation blocks (clusters). SPSS software was used to process the data. The frequency distributions of the replies were shown in tables. Additionally, the percentages and response counts for every survey item were summarized using frequency distributions. The findings showed that smallholder irrigation revitalisation has the potential to significantly raise incomes and profitability, notwithstanding certain challenges. According to the study's findings, SIRI is reducing poverty and enhancing smallholder farmers' profitability and revenue generation in spite of present obstacles.