Rivers & water: The Montepuez and Megaruma rivers (and their tributaries and valley groundwater) are the main water sources; main rivers retain standing water even late in the dry season and provide good potential for expanding irrigation. Hydrological monitoring at the Mecuia station indicates a long-term minimum discharge of ~2.16 m3/s, implying large theoretical irrigation potential in the catchment (note: ecological flows must be retained). The rivers layer shown on this map was generated using the MGHydro watershed tool (mghydro.com/watersheds).

Map & mapping: Sentinel-2 based classification identified irrigation hotspots mainly along rivers, wetlands and valley bottoms. The classification maps are useful for locating hotspots but tend to overestimate irrigated extent (mapped ~201 ha vs hydrological potential ~2,160 ha at Mecuia), so use the maps as guidance for targeting field validation.

FLID opportunities: Many farmers already irrigate (manual, gasoline/diesel pumps, driplines, solar pumps). Priority interventions are training (agronomy, salinity management, maintenance), business planning and tailored financing/co‑financing to increase ownership, and strengthening market linkages and local aggregation.

Recommendation (targeting): Focus near main rivers (Montepuez, Megaruma) and areas with shallow groundwater for expansion; monitor salinity and promote salt-tolerant crops where needed; prioritize farmer-led innovations and build on existing ‘example’ farmers as local champions.