Farmers’ perception towards the challenges and determinant factors in the adoption of drip irrigation in the semi-arid areas of Tigray, Ethiopia

Abstract

Due to its erratic nature of rainfall and anthropogenic factors, water is becoming a scarce resource in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia. Optimum crop yield is not achievable because of excessive moisture stress. As a method for efficient use of the available water resources, the low-cost family drip irrigation has been introduced throughout Tigray at household level. A study on the adoption status of the family drip irrigation and its challenges and determinant factors for adoption of family drip irrigation were conducted in selected locations in Tigray. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 135 households, adopters (47%) and non-adopters (53%), and key informants. Various continuous and discrete variables were analyzed by descriptive statistics, inferential (t test and Chi-square test) and binary logit regression model. The goodness of fit measures was employed to check and validate that the model fits the data well. The overall prediction of the logistic regression model is described as x 2 = 75. 57% at p = 0.001, described as highly significant, indicating that the independent variables significantly explained the dependent variable. The binary regression model prediction is also described by a strong association between the perception of farmers on drip irrigation adoption and the explanatory variables by the coefficient of determination (R 2) of 79.3%. Among the explanatory variables, education level, lack of technical knowledge, higher demand of labor requirements, extension services and sources of irrigation water were significantly important determinant factors for farmers’ adoption of drip irrigation. It is thus suggested that clear technical backups and increasing farmers’ awareness on the value of water would be essential for the efficient and sustainable use of the available water resources.