Enhancing food security through micro irrigation: Evaluating the contribution of treadle pumps to household food security in Umzingwane district of Zimbabwe
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Date
2014
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Abstract
Amongst a plethora of challenges facing the African continent today is the food security issue. Close to 240 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are food insecure (Bremner, 2012). A number of reasons have been advanced to explain the food insecurity situation of which inter-alia include climate change, low food and agricultural productivity and production. This article is centred on assessing the use of treadle pumps micro irrigation technologies strategy in an attempt to counter low food and agricultural productivity in Umzingwane district of
Zimbabwe. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used with data being collected through questionnaires, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. A total of 100 smallholder farmers participated in the study which covered 6 Wards. Study findings reveal that the use of treadle pumps improves household food security though this inevitably comes at a cost to the natural environment. This is largely due to the way in which this form of micro-irrigation is practiced in the District. However, notwithstanding the positive
contribution of treadle pumps to household food security, the use of these pumps is fraught with a number of challenges some of which include lack of backup services, spares, marketing and an unsupportive institutional environment.
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Dube, T., Maphosa, M., Dube, Z.L., Ncube, G. and Tshuma, N., 2018. Enhancing food security through microirrigation: Evaluating the contribution of treadle pumps to household food security in Umzingwane district of Zimbabwe.