THE natural beauty that adorns the fringes and the expanse of the internationally recognised Kafue Wetlands in Mazabuka’s Nega-Nega area is breath taking.

But entrapped in this beautiful ambience is a socio-economic malaise- poverty- that has existed with this community of land tillers, livestock rearers and fishers for centuries.

The Kafue Wetland is undoubtedly an environmentally embattled ecosystem, what with the assorted industries that line the banks of the Kafue River along its breadth width and which for years were a subject of environmental and conservationist activists, following the appearance of the infamous Kafue Weed.

After affecting the area’s fisheries sector, the issue of the Kafue Weed was ameliorated, but the challenge of poverty still lingers on in Nega-Nega’s Manyonyo area.

However, that story is about to take a different script thanks to a partnership between the African Development Bank (ADB) and the government of Finland who are co-financing an irrigation project in the area where people have for years depended on growing the traditional crop, maize while benefiting from piece at the nearby Sugar estates.

The construction of the Nega-Nega Irrigation Scheme is one of the six projects under implementation in Lusaka and Southern provinces under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) through the Small-Scale Irrigation Project (SIP).

SIP’s objective is to increase food production and household income of the 1, 613 households in Kanakantapa, Nega-Nega and Sinazongwe project sites.

This is what prompted a visit to the Nega Nega site by ADB resident representative Freddie Kwesiga, Finnish Ambassador to Zambia Sinikka Antila and MACO permanent secretary Abedanigo Banda last Tuesday.
The irrigation scheme is located in an area known as Nega-Nega settlement B, which was initially established as a resettlement scheme by the government over 18 years ago. It is clear that objective failed. The socio-economic challenges dogging Manyonyo area are as tangible as the run-down brick factory that stands at the age of privately-owned and seriously-fenced sugar cane out grower estates, being manned by locals residing in villages dominated by thatched mud and poles huts.

It is this disparity between the cane out growers and the villagers that the irrigation scheme might endeavour to bridge.

According to project manager George Phiri the construction of the 595 hectares irrigation project and which will serve 164 households commenced in April 2008 by China Jiangxi Corporation and has reached over 95 per cent for Lot 1 and 30 per cent for Lot 2.

“Construction work on the scheme, which was initially scheduled to be completed before the end of 2009, was delayed by seasonal interruptions during the rainy season and inadequate funding,” Phiri said in his brief to the visiting delegation. “The selection of sugar cane as the main crop for the scheme requires that the land be deep ploughed and then subjected to laser levelling before cultivation can start, thereby increasing pressure on the already strained budget.”

It is the issue of inadequate funding that took Ambassador Antila to Nega-Nega and according to Phiri, the ADB’s loan and grant financing agreements come to a close on June 30, 2010 and the funds were not adequate to complete the project.

“The Finnish grant support provides for completion of secondary and tertiary canals as well as land levelling to prepare the land crop establishment,” Phiri said.

Physically, the irrigation project runs parallel with highly mechanised Delta Sugar Estate, which has its sugar crop presided over by towering centre pivots.

At its start are three reservoir dams that are going to be fed with water from the Kafue River using gravity technology. The pipes that were being laid along the route leading to the reserve dams end up at the pump station, which will be serviced by three pumps of varying strengths.

In front of the pump station, is the main canal that ends at the intake point in the Kafue River, as it makes its journey towards Kafue town. According to the experts the pumping system would be through the use of Zesco power.

The main canal has survived two rainy seasons but it has not been lined to reduce on the level of erosion. This was a concern to the funders of the project.

“Maintenance will be the responsibility of the beneficiaries,” Phiri explained again. “It will not be lined because of lack of funds.”

Phiri said instead of lining the main canal with concrete, the villagers would plant vegetation on its sides to hold the soil.

Another thing noted was that when water was being taken into the community in such a manner, there was a high possibility of water-borne diseases.

“We have made a provision for a water buffer before the water passes into the Kafue and has to pass through a wetland of special vegetation,” Phiri said.

Phiri said another aspect that was looked at was an eventual increase in malaria incidences in the project area.

“We provided that maybe we supply drugs to the health centre but that was not done because of the budget,” he said.

Nega-Nega camp officer Katongo Chewe said the farmers had a very strong water association.
What are the challenges and benefits of this project to the local people?

Morris Simwambana is the executive secretary for the area’s Water Users Association and he outlined how the irrigation was going to change the people’s lifestyle.

“There is a challenge to change the mindset of the farmers from the traditional to agri-business. We are expecting other people from Lusaka who are coming to our farmers here and these are the brief case businessmen,” Simwambana said. “Other people when they have a lot of money they become careless.”

Wholesomely, Simwambana described the implementation of the project as fortunate.

“We expect our livelihood and our way of life to change from this time on. We are trying to guard this very jealously,” Simwambana said. “We were eyeing KASCOL previously. Right now we are luck we are not going to migrate to KASCOL. We are going to grow cane here and sell to them. We shall start with KASCOL but when we have the know-how we shall handle it. I grew up growing maize.”

It is only befitting that the beautiful sunsets that prevail over the rolling greens of the Kafue Wetland are complemented with the uplifting of the people’s socio-economic trends and the Nega-Nega Irrigation Scheme is certainly an intervention not far from the bull’s eye in that quest.