A total of 6,887 farmers have undergone training on formulation, implementation, operation and maintenance of irrigation schemes since 2015 to ensure their sustainability, it has been revealed.

National Irrigation Commission (NIRC)Assistant Director for Research Eng. Amy Mchelle, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the trained farmers were from 69 irrigation schemes scattered in eight irrigation zones which are Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Mbeya, Katavi, Mtwara, Tabora, Morogoro and Dodoma.

She said that the traininghas had a big impact to the farmers that they are now able to formulate, implement, operate and carryout maintenance of the irrigation schemes in their localities.

“Through training farmers can now preparetheir annual maintenance plans and carry out repairs for their irrigation schemeswithout waiting for government intervention as it used to be,” she said.

“Unlike in the past farmers now have a sense of ownership of the irrigation facilities ensuring their sustainability.”

Mchelle said through the awareness training on the Irrigation Act No.5 of 2013, farmers can now collect operation and maintenance fees which in turn are used to pay water use permits, carry out maintenance, repair works and other administrative activities for their schemes.

After training, she explained, farmers can now contribute 5 percent of their average yields per acre as an operation and maintenance fee.

She said the District Irrigation Development Teams (DIDTs) have also been trained and are now capable of assisting Irrigators’organizationsin preparing proper cropping calendar, basic operation (water distribution plan), budgeting and maintenance of their schemes.

According to Mchelle, farmers can now together with the irrigators’organizations use the monitoring sheet as a tool for collecting important information of the schemes regarding finance, maintenance, operation, management and reporting on their schemes.

NIRC Acting Director for Planning, Designing and Coordination of Private Sector and Project Manager, Eng. Muyenjwa Maugo, said that capacity-building for farmers, irrigation organisations and DIDTs was part of the implementation of a four-year project for ‘Capacity Development for the Promotion of Irrigation Scheme under the District Agriculture Development Plans Phase II (TANCAID II) supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Maugo said the project, among other things, was aimed at ensuring that the system for improving and promoting irrigation schemes development is strengthened in the country.