Climate change adaptability: the economic efficacy of investing in irrigation in Chivi Rural District, Zimbabwe:paper presented at a conference held on the 14th-16th July 2015, Elephant Hills Resort, Victoria Fallls, Zimbabwe

Abstract

In Zimbabwe, food insecurity is linked to factors ranging from climate-change, low capitalisation of the agriculture sectorand weak landholding rights. In the country,irrigation is generally regarded as a sustainable climate change adaptability strategy especially for semi-arid regions. While there is consensus on the notion that irrigation is the solution to social development ills at community level (World Bank 2008), there is no consensus on economic benefits of investing in small irrigation in dry areas. The study collected data from 30 farmers drawn from two communal irrigation schemes (CRD1 and CRD2) in Chivi District. Scheme CRD1 is located in an area that receives 400ml - 450mlof rainfall per year while CRD2 receives >300ml of rainfall per year. The District has a population of 166 049 people of which 111 944 are females (ZimStat 2012). The study established that farmers in the District know the effects of climate change on food security but they (farmers) differed on what causes climate change.This suggests that dealing with climate change requires a multi-faceted approach. By using the Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and the Net Present Value (NPV) tests, the study established that irrigation has the highest economic return on investment made in CRD1 compared to the returns on investment in CRD2. The study concluded that irrigation does not always bring about positive economic returns on investment.