Mozambique

Area equipped for irrigation is 118 120 ha [MZ01]. The figures refer to the period 2001-2003. The irrigated area per province is visible in the table below and also can be downloaded as Mozambique irrigation areas in PDF or Mozambique irrigation areas in Excel.

The position of 448 irrigation schemes with a total area equipped for irrigation of 117 027 ha was derived from a detailed inventory of irrigation projects [MZ01]. The outlines of 14 irrigation schemes with a command area larger than 1 000 ha were digitized from satellite imagery [MZ02] while the irrigated area of the other schemes was assigned to the positions of the projects as reported in the inventory.

Area actually irrigated was 40 463 ha in year 2002 [MZ01]. In most irrigation schemes of Mozambique surface water from rivers is being used. Groundwater is used to a very limited extent by the family smallholder sector [MZ03]. Based on this qualitative information it was assumed that groundwater is used by 10 percent of the small scale schemes (<50 ha). This resulted in a total of 639 ha (about 0.5 percent of the total irrigation area).

References

[MZ01]: Direccão nacional de hidraulica agricola (DNHA). 2003. Sínteso do Levantamento nacional dos regadios 2001 e 2003. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Republic of Mozambique. Maputo.
[MZ02]: Earth Satellite Corporation, 2004. Landsat GeoCover (2000/ETM+) Edition Mosaics, tiles 071-700, 071-701, 071-702, 071-703, 071-707 and 071-708. Sioux Falls, USA, USGS (available at http://glcfapp.umiacs.umd.edu:8080/esdi/index.jsp).
[MZ03]: FAO. 2005. AQUASTAT country profile Mozambique, FAO, Rome, Italy.