Smallholder irrigation intervention as a strategy for rural development: Some sociological observations
Date
1997-08-11
Authors
Magadlela, D.
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Abstract
Some of the initial ideas from this paper sprang from an extended ethnographic study of one
irrigation scheme in Eastern Zimbabwe's Manicaland Province, and partly from secondary data
on the subject of smallholder irrigation in Zimbabwe and in the Southern African region in
general. The thrust of the paper, however, is on ideas concerning the role of small scale
irrigation farming in the rural development process. This part leans heavily on some
(theoretical) sociological observations supporting such a development. The paper develops
ideas that address what can be termed a 'sociology of smallholder irrigation development'; which entails carrying out detailed studies of how such small scale irrigation projects are
formulated, constructed, managed and sustained over extended periods of time to try and
transform the lives of rural people. The paper touches on arguments supporting the idea of
promoting small scale irrigation development, and looks at ways in which such projects deal
with their normally heavy-laden social, cultural and political-economic environments. Initially,
there was an interest in the economic viability debate surrounding small scale irrigation, but
this was limited to the direct counter arguments for political and social reform. The fact that
most such projects are situated in generally poor ecological regions gives the economic
viability argument more strength, and relegates the demand for them (irrigation projects) to
politically expedient undertakings. The first part of the paper deals with a theoretical starting
point in conceptualising rural development as an intervention process that pits local rural
people with 'interested outsiders' such as government agencies or departments. This part also
looks at the various definitions of rural development with the specific aim of contextualising
small scale irrigation farming in the wider rural development scenario. An additional idea is
to explore arguments that support small scale irrigation's place or deny it a role in the rural
development process, while at the same time 'teasing out' a relatively new theoretical starting
point in dealing with rural development and development intervention issues.
The second part of the paper puts in context small scale irrigation development, both
in its historical and contemporary environment of 'small-farming' in general. This is supported
by placing the irrigation issues in the wider context of rural development, and the idea that
irrigation development provides affordable solutions to some rural problems facing locals and
their national governments. Then there is a section on small scale irrigation problems as rural
development problems. This sections deals with a wide variety of issues surrounding the
development of small scale irrigation schemes, including the controversial issue of farmer
participation in the management of formal irrigation projects. The last section has a discussion
and some conclusions from the analysis and calls for a multidisciplary approach to understanding small scale irrigation farming, its potentials and the problems surrounding it in the context of rural development.
Description
African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented 11 August 1997
Keywords
Irrigation. Economic aspects. Africa, Southern, Irrigation. Social aspects. Africa, Southern, Rural development. Africa, Southern