Indigenous Knowledge Assessment on Irrigation Water Management Practices

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge is the local or traditional knowledge system used by farmers. Therefore indigenous knowledge on irrigation water management means using of local or traditional knowledge system to manage irrigation water. This study was aimed to investigate farmers’ current irrigation water management practice and their technical performance. In this study I used reconnaissance survey and observation were carried out with each implementing center and Woreda Bureau of Agriculture to obtain overview of different irrigation schemes and irrigation practice conditions. The collected qualitative and quantitative data both from primary and secondary sources were analyzed using appropriated statistical methods like SPSS. The study result showed that farmers have developed several indigenous knowledge of irrigation water management practices. Among these knowledge, most of farmers in both weredas use furrow irrigation method, farmers use soil moisture method and crop leaf wilt techniques to irrigate cropped land, Most farmers apply irrigation water at morning and night time, The respondents uses watering top ridge to determine irrigation water sufficient and watering bottom ridge and slow stream flow for irrigation water insufficient.