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Mutunha Irrigation Case

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Zimbabwe is amongst countries that have become highly vulnerable to climate change as evidenced by frequent occurrence of dry spells, significant climate events such as devastating droughts and floods. The increasing frequency of climate extremes continue to amplify existing risks in natural dryland system including water scarcity and droughts that has become major climate change related challenges facing rural communities in Zimbabwe and Buhera district is not an excepting.

Climate change impacts have eroded rural households’ sources of livelihoods as they tend to rely heavily on climate-sensitive resources such as local water supplies and agricultural land, climate-sensitive activities such as arable farming and livestock husbandry; and natural resources such as grazing lands, wetlands, and fuelwood and non-timber forest products. Climate change is reducing availability of these local resources limiting the options for rural households that depend on agricultural activities and natural resources for consumption or trade.

Land has become less fertile, rainfall unreliable, thus dryland farming highly risky. These climate change challenges calls for climate proof investments that ensure sustainable management of resources.  Small scale irrigation schemes are amongst adaptation investments that plays a crucial role in food and nutrition security, income generation, employment creation and raising living standards of the farmers. In Zimbabwe proportion of food secure households are higher among farmers who are on irrigation schemes compared to dry land farming