Chisamba MP calls for increased investment in irrigation

Chisamba Member of Parliament Martin Chowa has made a strong appeal for heightened capital injection into irrigation systems, rural water networks, feeder roads, electricity, and digital connectivity across agricultural heartlands. Speaking on the pressing needs of farming communities, the lawmaker highlighted that sustainable agricultural transformation cannot occur while rural producers remain heavily reliant on erratic rainfall patterns and plagued by logistical bottlenecks. Mr. Chowa pointed out that Chisamba, being a critical agricultural hub in Central Province, possesses immense potential to drive national food security and export diversification. However, local farmers continue to grapple with severe structural hurdles, notably the lack of reliable irrigation facilities that render dry-season farming nearly impossible. Expanding water infrastructure, he argued, is no longer a luxury but an urgent economic necessity to safeguard harvests against frequent droughts. In addition to water resource management, the legislator underscored the importance of complementary infrastructure such as rural electrification and feeder roads. Poor road networks have long frustrated smallholder farmers, resulting in massive post-harvest losses as perishable goods struggle to reach lucrative urban markets in Lusaka and beyond. Upgrading these pathways alongside extending power grids will simultaneously stimulate agro-processing industries at the grassroots level. Furthermore, Mr. Chowa drew attention to the growing significance of digital connectivity in modern farming. Integrating technology into agricultural supply chains enables producers to access real-time market pricing, weather forecasts, and electronic extension services. By bridging the digital divide in rural constituencies, young entrepreneurs can be attracted back to farming, modernizing an aging demographic of smallholders. As the government continues to roll out decentralized financing tools like the Constituen