- Background
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Government of Zimbabwe and OFID are financing the Smallholder Irrigation Revitalisation Programme (SIRP). The aim of the programme is to achieve food and nutrition security, and ensure that smallholder communities are resilient to climate change effects and economic shocks by enhancing households’ production and productivity; and income levels as well as improving access to agricultural markets and financial services. To achieve this SIRP focuses on:
- rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure;
- promotion of improved smallholder irrigation management;
- promotion of good agricultural practices;
- improved market access and rural financial services and
- enhanced capacity for irrigation development and market-led production.
SIRP seeks to revitalize about 6,100 ha of existing smallholder irrigation schemes, mostly in communal and old resettlement areas in Natural Regions III, IV and V in the provinces of Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland South, and Midlands. An estimated 15,000 poor food insecure or food deficit households, representing 75,000 persons, that are engaging in irrigation agriculture in existing irrigation schemes and 12,500 households with no access to irrigation in the adjacent rainfed areas are expected to directly benefit from SIRP’s intervention.
In order to implement this project, a SIRP Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) was established to manage the implementation process of the programme. The PCU will use its discretion to engage short and long-term technical assistance to strengthen the programme implementation process. Currently, a need has arisen on the programme team and the PCU is considering engaging a Nutrition Specialist (Consultant) to support its activities related to nutrition education in SIRP operational areas.
