Project Overview
LUSIP Project Overview The Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP) is a poverty alleviation initiative situated in the Lowveld of Swaziland. The main goal of LUSIP is to improve the standard of living of the people in the project area, who are currently the poorest in the country. The project will achieve this goal by transforming the local economy from subsistence farming into sustainable commercial agriculture. In achieving this, the project will significantly contribute to the efforts of the Government of Swaziland in alleviating poverty in the country. The Project involves the construction of three dams, on the Mhlatuzane River, Golome River and a Saddle Dam, to form an off-river reservoir to store water diverted from wet season flood flows in the Usuthu River. During the first eight years, the Project will construct the dams and a distribution system, together with on-farm works, to irrigate a net irrigable area of approximately 6,500ha. After completion of this first phase, the Government of Swaziland intends to expand the Project into a second Phase, during which the water delivery system will be extended and an area of further approximately 5,000 ha will be developed. The project will support the development of irrigated farms. The project area is located along the west bank of the lower Usuthu River between Siphofaneni and Big Bend. The area is subdivided into five different blocks: the Weir Block at Bulungapoort, the Lubovane North Block, the Lubovane South Block, the St. Philips Block and the Matata Block.The area encompasses four chiefdoms and parts of another four chiefdoms, and is expected to benefit approximately 2,600 households (Census 2005) in Phase I. Beneficiaries generally will be smallholder farmers, mainly involved in sugarcane farming, cotton, maize and other high value crops under irrigation.
It is projected that an even larger population will derive indirect benefits through expansion of wage employment and small enterprise opportunities arising from an increase in cash turnover in the local economy. LUSIP is building partnerships for collaboration between government ministries (Agriculture and Cooperatives, Health, and Natural Resources and Energy), NGOs and the private sector. This collaboration is to ensure the capacity within these organizations is fully utilized for the long term sustainability of the Project. SWADE, the leading implementer of the LUSIP project, is a parastatal organization which has a Board of Directors where major stakeholders are represented. SWADE has established a Project Management Unit (PMU) which is responsible for all coordination and management of all project activities. The PMU is headed by a full-time Project Director, who is responsible to the SWADE Chief Executive Officer. The SWADE Board, which includes representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), Economic Planning and Development (MEPD), Finance (MOF) and Natural Resources and Energy (MNRE). In addition, strong partnerships have been fostered with the MOAC and MNRE to ensure that LUSIP development is in line with GOS policy and, in the case of MNRE, to ensure the establishment of the new water institutions envisaged under the Water Act of 2002. Government ministries and departments in Lubombo Region: Communication is directly with Regional Offices and through the Regional Development Team. Chiefs and traditional structures at local level: Quarterly progress meetings of all Chiefs from the project area are held. The meetings are chaired by the Regional Administrator of Lubombo Region. Beneficiary Communities: Sigodzi Development Committees (SDC) are established throughout the project area. Each Chiefdom has established a Chiefdom Development Committee (CDC). The CDC is represented by a member (chairperson) in a project wide committe (LDC). The local traditional authorities are part of these committees. The LDC holds meetings once quarterly to discuss project issues. Monthly Chiefdom meetings comprising all Committees, including the traditional structures are held to discuss the LUSIP development. A representative of the LUSIP community is a member of the SWADE Board. Stakeholder Forum: This is a Forum comprised of stakeholders that have a stake in the LUSIP Development. The long-term goal of the Forum is to ensure the sustainability of the LUSIP Development. Schools and churches are also used to communicate with the community. Local NGOs:
What is the Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project?
Government ministries and departments at National level:
Various working/action groups are formed around the different components of the project with the relevant NGOs.
Existing sugar growers and the mill:
The mill group is used as a communication channel to growers in the same area as the project. The Swaziland Cane Growers Association will be used to reach nationwide growers of cane. The sugar miller has a representative on the SWADE Board
Main Project Components
Component 1: Bulk Infrastructure and Distribution Sjstems:
Objective: Provision of physical infrastructure allowing collection, storage and distribution of 155million cubic metres of water per annum to supply Phase 1 (6500 ha) and Phase 2 (5000 ha) of the project.
Outputs:
Construction of physical infrastructure (weir, feeder canal, Lubovane dam, Main Canal South, St. Phillips canal and tertiary distribution canals) completed.
Component 2: Downstream Development and Agriculture Commercialisation:
Objective: Policy, Institutional and Social Environment supportive of the integration of small holder irrigation farmers in the project area into commercial economy in an equitable manner.
Outputs:
* A total area of 6500 ha developed for irrigation
* An estimated 75 Agricultural businesses initiated
Component 3: Environmental Mitigation
Objective: Potential negative impacts avoided through carefully planned resettlement, ecological and environmental health programmes.
Outputs:
Resettlement
- A total of 147 homesteads relocated
- A total of 841 graves relocated
- One (1) school (Mahlabatsini primary school) relocated
- Two (2) neighbourhood care points and three (3) churches relocated
- Three (3) dip tanks relocated
- 9 Soccer fields relocated.
Ecological and Environmental health
- 100% Environmental compliance against comprehensive mitigation plan (CMP)
- A Monitoring lab built and equipped at Siphofaneni
- All Homesteads having access to clean water
- All Homesteads having access to a VIP latrines
Component 4 : Project Coordination and Management
Objective: Processes for effective project management established, with particular emphasis on participatory planning monitoring and evaluation processes.
Projected benefits for beneficiaries of the project
- Household food security improves from 41% to 100% for direct irrigation beneficiaries by 2015 (Socio-Economic Survey: 2005).
- Income of households increases by at least 300% by 2015 from an estimated monthly average of E 980.00 (Socio-Economic Survey: 2005).
- Percentage of homesteads with access to domestic and potable water at less than 200m increases from 3.2% to 74% by 2015 (Socio-Economic Survey: 2005).
- The use of safe latrines rises from 9.5% of the households to 100% by 2015 (Socio-Economic Survey: 2005)
Funding
LUSIP is being financed through agreed loans from the:
- African Development Bank
- Development Bank of Southern Africa
- International Co-operation and Development Fund
- Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
- International Fund for Agricultural Development
- European Investment Bank and a
- Grant from the European Development Fund
- The Government of Swaziland also contributes major part to the project costs.
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All Systems Go For LUSIP Famers
With the availability of irrigation water by April 2008, Farmers under the Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP) are getting ready for the irrigation which is set to commence in October 2008. The potential farmers have formed themselves into groups, in readiness for the irrigation development. They have undergone, and will continue to undergo, a number of training courses to prepare themselves for the huge task ahead of them.
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