Eswatini - Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP)

Lower Usuthu Small-holder Irrigation Development Project is designed to support Government’s National Development Strategy by the development of the water resources of the Lower Usuthu Basin and addressing the socio-economic and legal constraints to further irrigation development. It aims the creation of employment, increased incomes, improved food security, minimization of random settlement and natural vegetation burning, intensification of production, reduced soil erosion, and supplementary input to livestock feed using farm residues and molasses. In addition, increased incomes through the project should indirectly improve health conditions through improved nutrition and possible improvement in water supply and sanitation. The expected outputs are: Under Upstream works, 200m wide concrete diversion weir, Feeder canal of capacity 13 m/s, three dams with reservoir with capacity of 155 million m3, two concrete-lined main canals 5.7 km and 24 Km long constructed as well as secondary and tertiary distribution systems for 6,500 ha developed. The project comprises four (04) main components, namely: (A) Upstream Works (including construction of 3 dams) and Distribution System, (B) Downstream Development, (C) Environmental Mitigation, and (D) Project Coordination and Management.