Irrigation In Ethiopia Research Articles

Performance Evaluation of AquaCrop Model of Tomato under Stage Wise Deficit Drip Irrigation at Southern Ethiopia

Crop modeling is a powerful tool for predicting yield and water productivity. The aim of the study was to calibrate and validate the AquaCrop model for tomato under staged deficit drip irrigation in Ethiopia. The AquaCrop model was calibrated and validated by using the observed data of canopy cover, biomass, dry yield, and soil water content. The results showed that the model was accurate in predicting canopy cover, biomass, and dry yield under different water levels. The overall performance in simulating canopy cover of AquaCrop, biomass, and soil water content showed a good match between measured and simulated data. The calibration results indicated good performance on canopy cover with 0.96 ≤ r ≤ 1.00, 2.9% ≤ RMSE ≤ 8.0%, 7.5% ≤ CV (RMSE) ≤ 21.1%, 0.91 ≤ EF ≤ 0.99, and 0.98 ≤ d ≤ 1.00. On biomass, the model calibration values were 0.99 ≤ r ≤ 1.00, 0.3 t/ha ≤ RMSE ≤ 0.8 t/ha, 8.3% ≤ CV (RMSE) ≤ 25.2%, 0.92 ≤ EF ≤ 0.99, and 0.98 ≤ d ≤ 1.00. Soil water content displayed poor performance on calibration, with performance values of 0.54 ≤ r ≤ 0.82, 3.6 mm ≤ RMSE ≤ 24.4 mm, 1.30% ≤ CV (RMSE) ≤ 9.00%, −4.18 ≤ EF ≤ 0.00, and 0.66 ≤ d ≤ 0.81. The validation results demonstrated that the model performed well on canopy cover with 0.96 ≤ r ≤ 1.00, 3.1% ≤ RMSE ≤ 7.7%, 8.2% ≤ CV (RMSE) ≤ 20.8%, EF ≥ 0.91, and d ≥ 0.9. The model validation correctly predicted biomass with r ≥ 0.98, 0.3 t/ha ≤ RMSE ≤ 0.7 t/ha, 8.9% ≤ CV (RMSE) ≤ 21.8%, EF ≥ 0.94, and d ≥ 0.98. The model validation poorly performed in forecasting soil water content, 0.20 ≤ r ≤ 0.80, 10.2 t/ha ≤ RMSE ≤ 24.0 t/ha, 3.5% ≤ CV (RMSE) ≤ 9.0%, −22.76 ≤ EF ≤ 0.63, and 0.40 ≤ d ≤ 0.87. The AquaCrop model is easy to use, requires less input data, and has high simulation accuracy, making it a useful tool for predicting crop yields and water productivity under staged deficit irrigation in areas with limited data.

Hydrochemical Characterization and Water Quality Assessment for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes Using WQI and GIS Techniques in the Upper Omo River Basin, Southern Ethiopia

Groundwater is an important source of drinking water and irrigation in Ethiopia’s present study area of the upper Omo River catchment. The present study area has an increasing demand for high-quality groundwater. Extensive irrigation and urban expansion are ongoing in the study area, seriously compromising groundwater quality. A study was conducted in Ethiopia’s upper Omo River catchment to assess groundwater’s suitability for drinking water and agricultural purposes. In total, 58 water samples were collected for this study. Based on the WHO and Ethiopian standards for assessing water quality, the study’s results have been analyzed and compared. The groundwater’s primary ion and physicochemical properties were plotted using GIS technology. Based on the results of the hydrochemical analysis, three water quality index (WQI) zones were identified: excellent (58.82%), good (35.29%), and poor (5.88%). From the Piper diagram plots, five different types of water were identified as Ca-HCO3, Na-HCO3, mixed Ca-Na-HCO3, NaCl, and CaCl, out of the total of fifty-eight samples collected from the study area. The present study found that in the area, most water samples are suitable for drinking, except for a few parameters above the standards for drinking water set by the World Health Organization and Ethiopian drinking water quality standards. Except for the three samples, EC, SAR, and PI data indicate that most of the area’s water samples are suitable for irrigation. Water quality indices, irrigation water quality methods, and GIS techniques are crucial for assessing water quality based on the study.

Toward a better understanding of the environmental impacts of expanding farmer-led irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa: an exploratory assessment of irrigation-induced risk of nutrient water pollution in Ethiopia

Irrigation, and especially farmer-led irrigation, is considered to be a promising option for enhancing agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, there is a lack of thorough understanding of the impacts of irrigation development on environment. Past discussions are mainly limited to the water depletion and hydrological regime change effect of irrigation. This paper presents a study to narrow the knowledge gap by assessing nutrient water pollution risk induced by the expansion of farmer-led irrigation in Ethiopia. Using household survey data collected from four woredas in Ethiopia where irrigated crop production currently concentrates, we first evaluate the impact of irrigation on cropping intensity and annual consumption level of fertilizers and then use the findings of the household survey data analysis to support conceptualization of a modeling framework for assessing agricultural nutrient water pollution risk from farmer-led irrigation development in Ethiopia at national scale. We project that overall farmer-led irrigation development in Ethiopia will lead to a gentle increase in national total of agricultural nutrient loadings. This result helps justify the endeavor of promoting farmer-led irrigation in Ethiopia. On the other hand, the projected nutrient flow and nutrient loading growth rate related to the farmer-led irrigation expansion are highly heterogeneous spatially, and risk of local water quality deterioration exists. There is still need to make investment to ensure the environmental sustainability of farmer-led irrigation development.

Optimal grid expansion under future electricity demand for groundwater irrigation in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a lower-income country with an agrarian based, fast-growing economy that is susceptible to climate change impacts. As the nation continues to develop, domestic electricity consumption and electricity export opportunities will increase alongside a growing electricity demand for groundwater irrigation to mitigate the effects of drought. There are upcoming mega-dams– the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Genale Dawa III, and Koysha – that will triple the electricity generation capacity. However, the central electricity grid is not sufficient to efficiently utilize this new capacity. We model future grid expansion scenarios by building a regional-scale linear optimal power flow model based on a transshipment representation of power flow that guides cost-optimal generation operations and transmission expansion, while satisfying competing electricity demand for domestic electricity consumption, groundwater irrigation, and international electricity export.We first evaluate cost-optimal generation and transmission expansion for a baseline case, with an estimate of current Ethiopian electricity demand. We then consider five potential future demand scenarios. These demand scenarios include estimates of both present and future domestic electricity demand, multiple levels of productive electricity demand for groundwater irrigation, and demand for international exports. Compared to the baseline, seasonal capacity factors for generators in the five model scenarios increased when collocated with an increase in electricity demand except for the generators that already operated at maximum capacity. All scenarios with higher domestic regional demand than the baseline surpass the transmission expansion planned by the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, independent of changes in irrigation and export demand. Our analysis suggests that the current expansion plan is not sufficient to meet future demand. Our research contributes to the literature by creating an optimal power flow model that can be applied in data-poor environments to model endogenous electricity infrastructure decisions under different scenarios of internal and external demand.

Agricultural Impact of Climate Change and Its Adaptation Strategies by Small-Scale Irrigation in Ethiopia: A Review

In Ethiopia agriculture accounts for about 45% of its GDP, creates 85% of employment and 65% of the total exports. Since, the country is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate variability and change its product is decreased time to time due to climate related hazards, commonly drought and floods.

Price, credit or ambiguity? Increasing small-scale irrigation in Ethiopia

Governments in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are keen to expand irrigation to improve food security and are placing particular emphasis on adoption and use of smallholder private groundwater irrigation. Yet private irrigation is a multi-stage technology, the adoption of which is affected by fiscal support and extension services offered on different investment stages but also by uncertainties around actions that need to be undertaken in these stages. Groundwater-based irrigation in Ethiopia presents a case where policy has focused on fiscally easing the purchase of pumps while considerable ambiguity (unquantifiable uncertainty) exists around the outcomes of drilling boreholes (reaching water). In this paper, we examine farmers’ willingness to adopt smallholder private irrigation packages in response to lower pump prices following tax breaks, loan availability, and reduction in ambiguities related to borehole drilling, using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) in two districts of Ethiopia. The results indicate that the provision of loans and reduction in ambiguities related to well drilling have the greatest effect on the probability of farmers adopting irrigation packages. Lowering pump prices has the smallest effect. Pump-type has a small effect, with energized pumps preferred over manual ones. In exploring heterogeneity in preferences, we find that farmers without irrigated plots and those with greater market access have a greater preference for the provision of loans, while those with greater market access also have greater preferences for reductions in well drilling ambiguities. The results of this choice experiment suggest that reducing ambiguities around well drilling (initial investments) is an essential and cost-effective step toward expanding groundwater-based irrigation in Ethiopia.

The impact of climate change on the availability of irrigation water at the rift valley lakes basin in Southern Ethiopia: A review

Agriculture is one of the foremost climate-responsive businesses, with open-air production systems sensitive to temperature and rainfall. This paper reviews recent literature and assesses the impact of climate change on the accessibility of water resources for irrigation. The paper critically reviews recent research findings on climate change's effect on the potential of surface water and groundwater for irrigation in Ethiopia's south rift valley (Abaya-Chamo) Sub-basin. Surface water in the south rift valley Ethiopia sub-basin, including the Abaya and Chamo lakes, is estimated to be just over 5,718 million m3yr-1. Finally, the implications for future study and development are emphasized. The effect of climate change (rainfall and temperature) on the water in the Abaya-Chamo lakes feeder Rivers is different for the near future (2021–2050) and extreme future (2071–2100) time using the RCP 8.5 scenario. Overall, findings show that the availability of water resources for irrigation purposes in the south rift valley Ethiopia sub-basin will be more vulnerable to changes in rainfall and temperature. In conclusion, Stream flow future projection (%) for each feeder river Bilate, Kulfo, Gidabo, and Hare are -9.07, -11.24, 3.89, 4.135, − 0.95, − 1.5, 13.4, and 15.4% respectively

Irrigation improves weight‐for‐height z‐scores of children under five, and Women's and Household Dietary Diversity Scores in Ethiopia and Tanzania

Evidence on the potential for agricultural intensification to improve nutrition has grown considerably. While small‐scale irrigation is a key factor driving agricultural intensification in sub‐Saharan Africa, its impact on nutrition has not yet been thoroughly explored. In this study, we assess the impact of adoption of small‐scale irrigation in Ethiopia and Tanzania on household and women's dietary diversity, as well as children's nutrition. We use two rounds of primary data collected from irrigators and nonirrigators in Ethiopia and Tanzania. We used a panel fixed effects econometric approach to control for observed household, women and children specific characteristics as well as observed and unobserved time‐invariant confounding factors. The results show that among Ethiopian households who reported having faced drought, women in irrigating households have higher Women's Dietary Diversity Score (WDDS) compared to women in nonirrigating households. In Tanzania, women in irrigating households have higher WDDS compared to nonirrigators and the impact of irrigation on WDDS more than doubles among households facing drought. In addition, among Tanzanian households who reported having faced a drought shock, irrigating households have higher Household Dietary Diversity Score compared to nonirrigators. Children in irrigating households in Ethiopia have weight‐for‐height z‐scores (WHZ) that are 0.87 SDs higher, on average, than WHZ of children in nonirrigating households. In Tanzania, irrigation leads to higher WHZ‐scores in children under‐five among households who reported having experienced a drought in the 5 years preceding the survey. The study shows small‐scale irrigation has a strong effect on households' economic access to food and on nutritional outcomes of women and children.

Techno-economic feasibility of small-scale pressurized irrigation in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda through an integrated modeling approach

Agriculture contributes up to 50% of the gross domestic product in some East African countries and is the backbone of the region’s economy. Most farmers rely on traditional, small-scale subsistence farming with low fertilizer use and low-yield seeds. Similarly, less than 3% of the total cultivated area employs any form of irrigation, mostly non-pressurized. Meanwhile, electricity providers frequently struggle with low and unpredictable demand, challenging their ability to recover rural infrastructure investments. Using electricity to pump irrigation water can increase agricultural productivity and improve the financial sustainability of rural electricity supply. This study evaluates the productive and economic feasibility of pressurized small-scale irrigation systems in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda for three staple crops and two horticulture crops. To study these effects, we develop simplified engineering-based irrigation and hydrology models and combine them with an existing biophysical crop growth model using district-level agrometeorological, soil, and crop physiology data as inputs. Our results indicate that small-scale pressurized irrigation can significantly increase yields for horticulture crops and staples such as maize or potato grown with improved seeds and moderate or greater fertility levels. The sensitivity analysis shows that irrigation may be techno-economically viable in up to 36% of Ethiopian woredas, 67% of Rwandan districts, and 45% of Ugandan districts provided the use of improved cultivars and non-limiting fertility conditions. These results highlight the value of complementing irrigation investments with electricity infrastructure in East Africa.

Techno-economic feasibility of small-scale pressurized irrigation in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda through an integrated modeling approach

Techno-economic feasibility of small-scale pressurized irrigation in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda through an integrated modeling approach

Comparison of Measured and Estimated Sugarcane Water Requirement under Arid and Semi-Arid Climatic Condition: The Case of Wonji Shoa Sugarcane Plantation, Ethiopia

Sugarcane is one of the most important commercial crops cultivated mostly on the large scale basis all over the world from arid to semi-arid climate condition like Ethiopia. Wonji shoa sugarcane plantation was the first large scale irrigation in Ethiopia. But sugarcane crop is the most water intensive crop that requires critical determination of its evapotranspiration. Determination of crop evapotranspiration is more accurate through experiment but experiment was not mostly undertaken due to high cost, lack of instruments and laboratory facilities, and time it required. But to overcome those problems, some models were developed as an option in determining the crop evapotranspiration. In line with this, the current study focused on the performance evaluation of sugarcane evapotranspiration determined by different models as compared to the lysimeter experiment under study area. The main objective of this study was to analysis the variation of sugarcane evapotranspiration measured from the lysimeter experiment and that determined using different models under the current study climatic condition. In the current study, Blaney-Criddle, Drooger and Allen, Hargreaves, Irmak, Tabari and Thornthwaite were selected. The selected models were required only few climatic parameters. After reference evapotranspiration was determined by each selected models, the sugarcane evapotranspiration was determined by multiplying those reference evapotranspiration by crop coefficient recommended by FAO-56. The performances of those models were evaluated using the most commonly used statistical indices. Those statistical indices used were RMSE, MBE, t-test, R2 and IA. After all the data computed by each selected models the analysed, Blaney-Criddle model was the best model in determining the sugarcane evapotranspiration as compared to the lysimeter experiment followed by Irmak models. Therefore, from the current findings, it can be concluded that Blaney- Criddle model can be used to determine sugarcane evapotranspiration under current study climatic condition.

Determinants and food security impacts of small-scale irrigation in Ethiopia

Determinants and food security impacts of small-scale irrigation in Ethiopia

Evaluating Irrigation and Farming Systems with Solar MajiPump in Ethiopia

Small-scale irrigation in Ethiopia is a key strategy to improve and sustain the food production system. Besides the use of surface water for irrigation, it is essential to unlock the groundwater potential. It is equally important to use soil management and water-saving systems to overcome the declining soil fertility and the temporal water scarcity in the region. In this study, the solar MajiPump was introduced to enable dry season crop production in Ethiopia using shallow groundwater sources. The capacity of the MajiPumps (MP400 and MP200) was tested for the discharge head and discharge using three types of solar panels (150 W and 200 W rigid, and 200 W flexible). Besides, drip irrigation and conservation agriculture (CA) farming systems were evaluated in terms of water productivity and crop yield in comparison to the farmers’ practice (overhead irrigation and tilled farming system). Results indicated that the maximum discharge head capacity of the MajiPumps was 18 m, 14 m, 10 m when using MP400 with 200 W rigid, MP400 with 200 W flexible, and MP200 with 150 W rigid solar panels, respectively. The corresponding MajiPump flow rates ranged from 7.8 L/min to 24.6 L/min, 3 L/min to 25 L/min, and 3.6 L/min to 22.2 L/min, respectively. Compared to farmer’s practice, water productivity was significantly improved under the CA farming and the drip irrigation systems for both irrigated vegetables (garlic, onion, cabbage, potato) and rainfed maize production. The water productivity of garlic, cabbage, potato, and maize was increased by 256%, 43%, 53%, and 9%, respectively, under CA as compared to conventional tillage (CT) even under overhead irrigation. Thus, farmers can obtain a significant water-saving benefit from CA regardless of water application systems. However, water and crop productivity could be further improved in the combined use of MajiPump with CA and drip irrigation (i.e., 38% and 33% water productivity and 43% and 36% crop productivity improvements were observed for potato and onion, respectively). Similarly, compared to CT, the use of CA significantly increased garlic, cabbage, potato, and maize yield by 170%, 42%, 43%, and 15%, respectively under the MajiPump water-lifting system. Overall, the solar-powered drip irrigation and CA farming system were found to be efficient to expand small-scale irrigation and improve productivity and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia.

Mapping development potential of dry-season small-scale irrigation in Sub-Saharan African countries under joint biophysical and economic constraints - An agent-based modeling approach with an application to Ethiopia

Sub-Saharan Africa has long been beset with food insecurity. Investment in small-scale irrigation may provide a solution to address the challenge by extending crop production into the dry season. We present an agent-based modeling system to assess the potential of dry-season small-irrigation development in Sub-Saharan Africa with an application to Ethiopia. We identify significant potential for investing in dry-season small-scale irrigation in Ethiopia and map geographic domains with highest investment opportunities.

Econometric analysis of onion marketed supply in Northwest Ethiopia

Fruit and Vegetables are growing both rain fed and irrigation in Ethiopia and important for food security and income generation to a large proportion of the rural household. Enhancing onion farmers...

The Role of Small Scale Irrigation to Household Food Security in Ethiopia: A Review Paper

Ethiopia has been highly affected by drought and climate-related hazards, and millions of people have been left without sustenance every year. Irrigation as an agricultural intensification plays key role in increasing agricultural production and productivity. The Government of Ethiopia has identified small-scale irrigation as an important component of adaptation. This review paper is aimed to compile the existing literature on the role of small-scale irrigation scheme on the rural household food security and factors affecting the households’ food security in the country. The country is blessed with abundant water resources and believed to have the potential of 5.1 million hectares of land that could be developed for irrigation. However, about 3% to 5% of the irrigable land was irrigated currently. Irrigation in Ethiopia is considered as a basic strategy to alleviate poverty and hence improve food security. It is useful to transform the rain-fed agricultural system that depends on rainfall into the combined rain-fed and irrigation agricultural system. Irrigated agriculture is becoming increasingly important in meeting the demands of food security, employment, rural transformation and poverty reduction. For Ethiopia, increase in agricultural production through diversification and intensification of crops grown, increased household income because of on/off/non-farm employment, source of animal feed, improving human health due to balanced diet and easy access and utilization for medication, soil and ecology degradation prevention and asset ownership are contributions of small scale irrigation. The value of per hectare crop production under irrigated settings is about twice that of under rain-fed settings. Household income and consumption are much higher in irrigated settings than in rain-fed settings. Hence, it was concluded that irrigation has positive role on the rural farming households’ food security, and it should be a policy priority in Ethiopia for rural poverty alleviation, climate change adaptation and overall economic growth. Keywords: Food security, Small-scale irrigation, Role DOI : 10.7176/JRDM/60-03 Publication date :October 31 st 2019

Devised Mathematical Technique for Flexible Gated Pipe Alignment in the Case of Furrow Irrigation in Ethiopia

This study was aimed at analytically examine the convectional layout of Felix Gated Pipe in irrigation field and come up with new approach that enhance approach to optimize economical affordability and durability. With conventional method Flexi Gated Pipe was installed in field stay in the field until harvesting time. Flexi Gated Pipe can irrigate left and right in the in the reach of 100 m, therefore if Flexi Gated Pipe 100 m length was considered in conventional method it irrigate only 2 ha through the crop growing season. With new practice that was introduced, the same 100 m long flexi-gated pipe can irrigate at least 20 ha in 10 days (including five days of idle time) by implement aided rotation within the estate. Metehara sugar Estate in Ethiopia which is about ten thousand hectares, 50000 meters of Flexi Gated Pipe will be required 35,000,000 ETB. A total of 10,500,000 ETB can be saved from one sugar estate. Therefore, 75% of the initial investment costs will be reduced with minimum input of labour and implement cost

Assessing potential land suitable for surface irrigation using groundwater in Ethiopia

Although Ethiopia has abundant land for irrigation, only a fraction of its potential land is being utilized. This study evaluates suitability of lands for irrigation using groundwater in Ethiopia using GIS-based Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques in order to enhance the country's agricultural industry. Key factors that significantly affect irrigation suitability evaluated in this study include physical land features (land use, soil, and slope), climate (rainfall and evapotranspiration), and market access (proximity to roads and access to market). These factors were weighted using a pair-wise comparison matrix, then reclassified and overlaid to identify suitable areas for groundwater irrigation using a 1-km grid. Groundwater data from the British Geological Survey were used to estimate the groundwater potential, which indicates the corresponding irrigation potential for major crops. Results indicated that more than 6 million ha of land are suitable for irrigation in Ethiopia. A large portion of the irrigable land is located in the Abbay, Rift Valley, Omo Ghibe, and Awash River basins. These basins have access to shallow groundwater (i.e., depth of groundwater less than 20 m from the surface) making it easier to extract. The comparison between available groundwater and total crop water requirements indicate that groundwater alone may not be sufficient to supply all suitable land. The study estimates that only 8% of the suitable land can be irrigated with the available shallow groundwater. However, groundwater is a viable option for supplementing surface water resources for irrigation in several basins in the country.

English

Moisture-stress weakens the use of modern inputs such as fertilizer, which could undermine yields. In a growing population, low yields cause food shortage. Investing in irrigation mitigates moisture-stress but expensive for smallholder farmers. Spate irrigation, a sudden flood run-off diverting, is cheaper to invest in than other irrigation technologies such as ponds and shallow-wells. This study investigated factors deriving the choice of spate irrigation in Ethiopia, and compared crop-choices and yields among irrigation technologies. To investigate the technology choice, logit model was estimated using data collected from Ethiopia in 2005. Secondary data was analyzed to examine crop-choice and yields. The findings show that: (1) farmers with higher irrigation capital, family-labour, lower operation and maintenance (OM (2) market access does not affect the choice; (3) spate users often grow cereals and pulses than other irrigation users, and this enhances food security; (4) spate irrigation increases grain supplies by increasing yields. These findings suggest that encouraging irrigation-capital creation, low-cost O&M, meteorological services, and considering regional diversities increased the probability of modernizing spate irrigation. The findings also inform the decision on crop choice in disadvantaged and remote areas to improve livelihood. Key words: Irrigation technology, spate irrigation, rainwater harvesting, crop-choice, Ethiopia.

Poverty Profiles and Nutritional Outcomes of Using Spate Irrigation in Ethiopia

AbstractDevelopment partners and public investors assume that spate irrigation reduces household poverty and malnutrition. This article examines whether the poverty profiles of smallholder farmers and the nutritional outcomes of their children have improved as a result of using spate irrigation. The study areas were in two regional states in Ethiopia. Twenty‐five users each, both from traditional and modern spate irrigation schemes, and an equal number of non‐users responded to a structured questionnaire. Anthropometric measures of 122 children under five were measured using a hanging scale and stadiometer. The results indicated that all poverty indices were significantly lower for the spate irrigation users compared to non‐users, and were even lower for modern spate compared to traditional spate systems. Our results did not show gender differences, using sex of the household head as a crude measure of gender, in poverty profiles. Stochastic dominance tests showed that the poverty comparisons between users, traditional and modern, and non‐users are statistically robust. It can be concluded that the use of spate irrigation can significantly reduce poverty, and modernizing spate systems further increases its poverty‐reduction impact. However, anthropometric measures indicated that use of spate irrigation did not have significant nutritional effects, suggesting the need for nutrition‐sensitive interventions, such as nutrition education and awareness and multisectoral collaboration. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.