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The arid Lowveld of south-east Zimbabwe was hard
hit by the devastating drought of 1991-2. Yet, amid
the devastation, the lands of the Nyajena people
continued to make a brave show of verdant
cultivation.
This oasis in the desert is the Rupike
Irrigation Scheme designed and built by the Rio
Tinto Foundation for 200 farming families who are
neighbours of the Renco gold mine-flagship of Rio
Tinto’s Zimbabwe operations.
The Rio Tinto Foundation, funded by a gift of
2,000,000 shares in Rio Tinto Zimbabwe, decided on
the project in 1986. The Nyajena’s request for a
dam and irrigation scheme addressed the needs of an
area where water is the most cherished resource.
The 3.8 million cubic metre Tugwane Dam was
designed to irrigate 200 acres of land, one acre to
each family.
The Foundation engaged an agricultural engineer,
Alan Norton, to plan the irrigation system which
comprises 600 movable overhead sprinklers. With his
wife Debbie he also headed the training scheme for
the Rupike farmers. The Foundation provided two
tractors, a grader and tillage units to ensure that
the lands were properly cleared and prepared for
good cropping. Basic agricultural training was
enhanced by training in harvesting, storage and
marketing, all new skills for the cattle-owning
Nyajena.
When the worst drought in living memory struck
the Lowveld in 1991, the Rupike farmers were well
equipped to combat its effects. They had the water,
the expertise and the wherewithal for sustaining
their farming. In 1992, the Tugwane Dam dropped to
8 per cent of its capacity but that was still
enough to keep the crops alive.
Besides maize and groundnuts, the Rupike farmers
now grow winter wheat and a variety of vegetables.
They sell surplus produce to the Renco Mine
township, to trading stores and to passengers of
buses running through the area. This provides each
farmer with a cash income of Z$5000 in a good
year.
The irrigation project has led to the
development of the surrounding area. The 13
kilometre powerline to the Tugwane Dam also
supplies electricity to the nearby business centre,
schools, clinic and rural council facilities. The
Rupike business centre now has four power-driven
mills to grind cereals, a butcher’s shop, a farm
supply-and-implements business and a blacksmith’s.
The smith, who makes and repairs tools, was trained
by the Foundation.
In keeping with its policy of handing over
completed projects, the Rio Tinto Foundation will
this year present the Tugwane/Rupike scheme to the
Zimbabwean government. The farms will then manage
the scheme with the help of a government-appointed
supervisor.
Meanwhile, the Nortons will stay on to train the
farmers in good management, using an innovative
group method designed by Debbie Norton. “We are
placing as much emphasis on training as we did on
the engineering,” says Peter Shortt, Executive
Officer of the Foundation.
The Rupike scheme illustrates how sustainable
development can be undertaken in Zimbabwe, The
Senior Minister of Finance, Dr Bernard Chidzero,
said of Rupike: “I wish every one of our companies
would do the same.”
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