Only 97 000 hectares under irrigation—Kalinde

Minister of Water Development and Irrigation Anita Kalinde says Malawi has the potential to irrigate over 600 000 hectares instead of the current 97 000 hectares.

Speaking during the opening of the hands on training in irrigation development management best practices for officers in her Ministry in Lilongwe on Tuesday, Kalinde said if all the irrigable land were fully-developed, it would contribute to the socio economic development of the country through improved household as well as national food security.

Said Kalinde: “Malawi is blessed with potential areas for irrigation development due to vast availability of water resources in form of rivers, lakes and groundwater.

“It is obvious if all the potential irrigable land would be developed, it would help reduce imports and increase exports. With increased funding and support to this sector industries will go a long way in creating more employment opportunities for many Malawians.”

Kalinde said recognising the importance of irrigation, government has initiated a number of projects and preparatory studies, among them development of an irrigation master plan, which will guide future irrigation developments and management in the country.

She said the master plan was developed after noting that over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture is facing a number of challenges due to climate change impacts.

Water Resources and irrigation specialist at the World Bank, Pieter Waalewijn, whose organisation funded the training, urged officers to listen to farmers when designing irrigation systems.

“We might have our diploma or degrees, but when we go on the ground we must also take into account the advice of farmers in whose field we work. Malawi has great potential for irrigation and the experts must also rise to the occasion and make a difference,” said Waalewijn.

He said due to a gap between theory and practice, there is need for continued refresher courses and training if Malawi is to be at par with other countries in Africa in irrigation system.

The common irrigation systems currently in use in Malawi include overhead, surface and localised.