Malawi's Smallholder Irrigation Project (Ship) has set aside about K600 million ($4.2 million) for irrigation projects in the Southern Region, project manager Costa Mwale has said.
The money would, among other uses, be used to upgrade and renovate irrigation schemes idle for the past 10 years, a development which Mwale says will reduce the country's dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
Mwale said Ship has already distributed over 2,000 treadle pumps to farmers in the Southern Region. "We want farmers to grow as many crops as they can and stop depending on the rainy season. Irrigation technology is aimed at empowering farmers to be self reliant," he said.
He said the project would move to other regions in due course. "We first started with the South because that is where they have problems with inadequate rainfall. We will be going to the North and Centre maybe in the second phase," said the project manager.
So far Ship has renovated Thuchila Farm Institute in Mulanje and Ngabu rural training centre in Chikwawa, which are expected to play a pivotal role in equipping farmers with new farming technologies.
Daily Times
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July 24, 2007
Smallholder irrigation project launched in Malawi
Categories irrigation, Malawi
