As mentioned in a previous blog post, in the 2019/2020 season, the United Nations reported that half of Zimbabwe’s population was facing acute food shortages. The World Food Programme appealed for US$200 million to buy 200 000 tonnes of grain to feed 4.1 million Zimbabweans, about half of the people who needed food.
In that season, there was a drought. Yet when the rains are good, Zimbabwe can feed itself. So, the answer is obviously irrigation.
The trend throughout former Federation countries (Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi) is that when the rains are good, the country has a food surplus, but when the rains are poor, the country needs food imports and food aid.
Less than 7% of cultivated farmland in Sub-Saharan Africa is under irrigation. This is why most Southern African countries rely on food imports and food aid. The key is irrigation.
South Africa’s irrigable farmland is under full irrigation, 100%. Yes, as the population of South Africa grows, this full irrigation will at some point not be sufficient to feed South Africans. This means South Africa will have to import food. If we develop irrigation throughout Africa to make Africa self-sufficient in food production, South Africa could source its food from its neighbours such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique. At this stage, only 150 000 hectares of farmland are under irrigation in Zimbabwe, which is less than 10% of Zimbabwe’s irrigation potential.
As the African Continental Free Trade Area develops, African countries will reach a stage where they can trade food among themselves without having to rely on food imports from other continents. For Africa to get to that stage where it can feed itself, we need to fully develop irrigation in Africa. Irrigation is the key.