Irrigation development and management practices in Ethiopia: A systematic review on existing problems, sustainability issues and future directions

Abstract

In spite of the investment and efforts made for irrigation development, many irrigation schemes in Ethiopia are performing below design expectations leaving huge areas and many beneficiaries out of irrigation. In this study, a systematic literature review was conducted on management practices, problems and future directions of community managed small-scale irrigation schemes in Ethiopia. Out of 1282 published research reports retrieved from the data bases of Web of Science and Scopus, eventually 83 publications fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Failure and under-performance of irrigation schemes in Ethiopia is reported to mostly relate to problems during design and implementation and/or operation and maintenance. Low level of community participation, lack of site specific reliable hydrological data, poorly designed irrigation infrastructures, high construction cost and delayed project completion are most mentioned problems during the design and implementation phases of irrigation projects. Presence of weak local scheme managing institutions and users’ exclusion in management decisions are among the main problems of small-scale irrigation management practices in Ethiopia. Regardless of their water sources, irrigation schemes face similar problems in Ethiopia. Adoption of a holistic development and management strategy that integrates technical, socio-economic and environmental aspects is needed to overcome problems and sustainability challenges of community managed irrigation schemes in Ethiopia. Supporting the irrigation sector via research-based findings and adoption of advanced technologies needs further investments and efforts to narrow challenges of irrigation schemes sustainability gaps.