Small-scale Irrigation Schemes Research Articles

Assessing the Performance of Conveyance System of Jato Small-Scale Irrigation Scheme of Wayu-Tuka District, East Wallaga Zone, Oromia, Ethiopa

The performance assessment of a small-scale irrigation project plays a vital role in evaluating its effectiveness and addressing potential shortcomings in achieving desired outcomes. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the Jato small-scale irrigation project, assessing its performance based on various criteria and indicators. The study evaluates the project's infrastructure maintenance and system efficiency. The designed command area of the scheme is seventy-five (75 ha) but the current irrigated area of the scheme is sixty (60ha) only. To achieve the objectives, primary and secondary data were collected. To gather both primary and secondary data, data-gathering techniques include surveys, interviews, field observations, and meteorological data. Before, during, and after an irrigation event, while farmers were carrying out their regular irrigation practices, several field characteristics were measured and/or observed. These data included the type of crop, irrigation water discharge in the canal, and field size. A survey concerning the availability of water was also carried out among farmers. CROPWAT 8.0 Software was used to organize the crop pattern of the study area along with other relevant data, including soil, climate, rain crop, and crop pattern. Water flow measurement results of the Jato small-scale irrigation scheme at the head, middle, and tail of the lined & unlined main canal were found to be 53.6l/s, 45.4 l/s, and 29.9l/s respectively. The average water flow measurement result of the scheme is 43l/s which reduced from required flow by 18.15l/s. From the analyses of the water balance indicators, the canal conveyance efficiency, canal conveyance loss, application efficiency, and overall efficiency were found to be 70%, 30%, 70%, and 50% respectively. The overall average main canal conveyance efficiency and water conveyance loss were below the recommended values. The studies have shown that the effective infrastructure, irrigation ratio, and water surface elevation ratio of the scheme were found to be 66.7%, 80%, and 66% respectively. However, there were certain areas for improvement identified, such as the need for better coordination among project stakeholders and enhanced maintenance practices to ensure the long-term functionality of irrigation infrastructure.

Farmers’ perception on technical and irrigation water user associations (IWUAs) performance of selected small-scale irrigation schemes in the Ethiopian Rift Valley

Farmers’ perception on technical and irrigation water user associations (IWUAs) performance of selected small-scale irrigation schemes in the Ethiopian Rift Valley

Participatory mapping of irrigation schemes in Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe and their value for multi-level learning

This paper analyses the capacity of participatory mapping as a multi-level learning process to identify and overcome current barriers to productivity within small-scale irrigation schemes. The analysis is based on thirteen smallholder irrigation schemes in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, where farmers, project officers and other key stakeholders participated in informal mapping teams to map the schemes. Critically, participatory mapping translated problems generally known by stakeholders into problems that were publicly known, making their resolution a shared responsibility. Hence, problems identified at both the scheme and plot levels led to immediate responses by the farmers, irrigator organizations, and government departments, boosting farmers’ agency and confidence and renewing their sense of scheme and plot ownership. It is important that irrigation agencies prioritize participatory processes and the use of informal networks to improve farmers’ understanding of their resource and management challenges and to build their sense of ownership and responsibility for effective management of irrigation schemes.

An evaluation of small-scale irrigation schemes infrastructure

The development and management of irrigation in many developing countries have been characterized by many challenges, which have led to irrigation capacity utilization on some existing schemes being very low. This study assesses small-scale irrigation scheme infrastructure in the Upper West Region of Ghana, using Yeleyiri irrigation scheme in the Wa West District and Pulima irrigation scheme in the Sissala West District as case studies. The focus of the assessment was on the status and an analysis of the rehabilitation requirements of the two schemes. In conducting the evaluation, transect walks, topographic surveys, field observation, field measurement, interviews, focused group discussions, and questionnaire surveys were the approaches and methodology adopted. The results showed that the head works, slopes, inlet and outlet structures, water distribution systems, and drainage in both schemes were in a deplorable state and thus, required maintenance to ensure the optimization of the utilization of both schemes. In addition, the absence of a farmhouse and storage facilities in both schemes made the effective management of the schemes a major challenge. The study, therefore, proposes some interventions for the rehabilitation and efficient optimization of the two small-scale irrigation schemes.

Determinants of food security status of household in west Gojjam zone, Ethiopia.

Food security is based on a variety of factors, including how well agricultural production is doing, how much food we import, how many people are employed in the food industry, what public policies are put in place to improve food production strategy and food security of the household. Food is important for human beings so that everyone can have enough of it. A lack of food in the long term can lead to people becoming hungry and starving, which can be dangerous. There are many ways to boost food production and improve self-sufficiency and food security. One way is to develop small-scale irrigation schemes. In this study, multistage sampling was used to collect data from 400 sample rural households, and results showed that age, family size, market information, and price of the product are significant at 1% significance level, along with the non-farm income, and irrigation participation at 5% significance level. It was also found that education is significant at 10% significance level. Governments and relevant parties need to work together to address the issues of food security by disseminating current data on the irrigation industry to boost the agricultural product, enhance irrigation facilities, and provide extension agents with training to increase the level of food security in the country.

Potential Assessment of Small-Scale Irrigation Scheme by Using Internal and External Indicators: Case Study on Kokono Small Scale Irrigation Scheme, North Wollo Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Potential Assessment of Small-Scale Irrigation Scheme by Using Internal and External Indicators: Case Study on Kokono Small Scale Irrigation Scheme, North Wollo Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Determinants of adoption of small-scale irrigation practices as adaptation strategies to climate change stresses in Kersa District, Eastern Oromia, Ethiopia

This study was conducted to assess the factors influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt small-scale irrigation practices as an adaptation strategy to climate change in Kersa district, East Hararghe Zone, Oromia. The data were collected from a sample of 288 farm households (130 adopter and 158 non-adopters). Both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained from primary and secondary sources. A binary logistics regression model was used to identify the determinants of irrigation scheme adoption. The results indicate that the adoption of small-scale irrigation scheme was influenced by the age of the household head, dependency ratio, distance from water source, household size, frequency of extension contact, access to credit, livestock holding, off/nonfarm activities, membership in an agricultural cooperative, access to climate information, and perception of climate change, which had significant positive effects. Small-scale irrigation practices are a practical solution to lessen the effects of climate change stresses. Therefore, to improve rural farm productivity and lessen the effects of climate change stresses, the agricultural and natural resources office should focus scientific attention on the key factors that influence the adoption of small-scale irrigation.

Impacts of small-scale irrigation on farmers' livelihood: Evidence from the drought prone areas of upper Awash sub-basin, Ethiopia

Irrigation is an important mechanism to mitigate risks associated with the variability in rainfall for the smallholder subsistence farming system. This study analyzed how practicing small-scale irrigation (SSI) impacts the key livelihood assets on farm households' human, physical, natural, financial, and social capitals in Ethiopia's upper Awash sub-basin. The household-level survey data, collected from the 396 sample households, was used to carry out the current study. A Propensity Score Matching (PSM) analytical model was applied to match the SSI user and non-user groups. The difference between the five capital assets of livelihood was estimated using the PSM's Nearest Neighbor, Radius, Kernel Mahalanobis, and Stratification matching criteria. The results indicated that farmers' participation in SSI has enhanced the capital assets of the farm households. Compared to the non-users, the irrigation users were better off in the number variety of food consumed (0.28 ± 0.13 Standard Error [SE]), types of crops produced (0.60 ± 0.17 SE), expenditures on land renting, and agricultural inputs (3118 ± 877 SE) measured in Ethiopian Birr (ETB), as well as on-farm (9024 ± 2267 SE ETB) and non-farm (3766 ± 1466 SE ETB) incomes. Challenges such as the involvement of local brokers in the market value chain and the absence of farmers' marketing cooperatives have reduced the benefit of irrigated agriculture. Hence, the expansion of SSI schemes for the non-user farmers should consider improving the water usage mechanism and productivity, establishing proper water allocation institutions between up and down streams and limiting the role of brokers in the irrigation product marketing chain be future policy directions.

Stochastic Frontier Analysis of Technical Efficiency and Profitability of Dry Season OKRA Production in Nigeria

Food production in Nigeria is almost entirely rain fed despite the great potential of irrigation in Nigeria to boost agricultural productivity. The study assessed the profitability and efficiency of dry season irrigated okra farming in Adamawa State using primary data collected from 180 farmers through a simple random sampling technique. Profit efficiency and stochastic frontier function were used in analyzing the data. The result revealed that labor costs accounted for 48% of average variable cost while a farmer’s total revenue from irrigated okra produce was ₦228,642.56K ($408.2), total fixed cost and variable input cost was ₦102,440.37K ($182.93), resulting in a net farm income (NFI) of ₦126,201.63K ($225.36). The coefficients of farm size, household size, and fertilizer were positive and significant at the 1%, 10%, and 5% levels of probability, respectively, as revealed by the OLS results. Empirical estimate shows that the mean technical efficiency value of vegetable farmers was about 0.73 while Technical inefficiency coefficient of farming experience (−0.420), adjusted household size (−0.193), and extension contacts (−0.162) are variables that increased technical efficiency. Lack of access to water, high cost of equipment, and inadequate finance were identified as lead constraints of the okra farmers. Therefore, recommendations by the study are that farmers be encouraged to establish cooperative organizations so that they can pool their resources to create an irrigation system that is affordable. Also, sustainability of small scale irrigation scheme should be promoted by the government through skill enhanced trainings.

Integrating Socioeconomic Biophysical and Institutional Factors for Evaluating Small-Scale Irrigation Schemes in Northern Ethiopia

This paper characterizes and compares three types of small-scale irrigation scheme practices in Northern Ethiopia. A multidisciplinary survey approach, collecting information on socioeconomic, biophysical, and institutional aspects of irrigation by the smallholder farmers, was used to investigate and compare aspects of land, water use, and crop productivity, including farmer income and livelihood sustainability. The study was conducted in the Zamra catchment, a sub-basin of the large Tekeze river basin and Nile basin tributary. Three common small-scale irrigation scheme types, i.e., traditional diversion, modern diversion, and dam (reservoir) based irrigation, were compared using four pilot survey areas. From the total of 618 farmer households in the study areas, 242 farmers were selected using stratified random sampling and participated in the survey and research. More than 100 input data were collected from the farmers related to the biophysical, socioeconomic, and institutional factors affecting their work practice and livelihood. Focus group discussions were conducted with elders, the water users association committee, and women-headed households. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis were used for quantitative analysis. The result indicates a significant difference between the three irrigation schemes. One important conclusion of this study was that the explanatory value of a single factor (e.g., biophysical), as commonly done in irrigation research and assessment, was seldom sufficient to explain water use, crop yield, and farmer income. Institutional and/or socioeconomic drivers also played an important role in the entire farming practice, income generation, and livelihood of the farmers. This study highlighted the value-added of the multidisciplinary approach (socioeconomic, biophysical, and institutional) for the evaluation of small-scale irrigation practices and livelihood analysis of agricultural smallholders in climate-affected regions, such as the Northern Ethiopian highlands.

Evaluation of Delbo Small Scale Irrigation Scheme Performance Southern, Ethiopia

Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region have launched a number of small-scale irrigation projects to help farmers achieve food self-sufficiency. However, because their systems' performances have not been assessed, it is unknown what level of performance they are capable of. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the Delbo small-scale irrigation system in southern Ethiopia. The result revealed that, the output per cultivated hectare was between 7668.96 and 31585.36 birr/ha, and the output per season's unit command area ranged between 5560 and 21583.33 birr/ha. The irrigation supply output per unit ranges between 1.0 and 3.32 birr/m3. The relative water supply (RWS) and irrigation water supply (RIS) were 2.03 and 2.75, respectively. This indicated that irrigation water was not in limited supply, and more water was diverted to the Delbo irrigation facilities. The average application efficiency of the chosen farmer's field was 53.3%, storage efficiency was 61.73%, distribution uniformity was 75.58%, and conveyance efficiency was 73.4%. Field I was more effective than Field II in terms of irrigation water management, while Field III was the least effective. One issue that must be addressed to ensure the sustainability of the schemes is to increase the management abilities of the users in order to improve the scheme's water use.

Challenges Facing Leaders in Transforming Small-Scale Irrigation Farming in Usa River Ward, Arumeru District, Northern Tanzania

The low agricultural productivity of key crops and food insecurity continue to be a problem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and Tanzania in particular. The growing population and climate change further increase the food shortage. Irrigation has been strategized to reduce poverty and food insecurity, and improve the livelihoods of communities in African countries, and in particular Tanzania. Transformational leadership for small-scale irrigation is urgently needed to attain the planned agenda for irrigation schemes. This study assessed the challenges of leadership in leading and transforming small-scale irrigation schemes. The questionnaires were distributed to leaders of the agriculture sector in four strata (agriculture extension officer (25), AMCOS leaders (6), agriculture engineers (2), irrigation committee (9)) with a total of 42 leaders as participants. A total of 118 farmers were interviewed from four irrigation canals (Ngollo (32), Ngarasero I (32), Ngarasero II (33), and Abisinia (21)) in the Usa River ward. The study found that the challenges of leaders in leading the transformation of small-scale farming for success were commitment of leaders, market chain, pest control mechanisms, irrigation extension service, planning, technological transformation and adoption, mobilization of farmers and professionals, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge of irrigation, and agro-input supply. This study shows that leaders’ transformation skills can play a great role in poverty reduction in small-scale irrigation in the Usa River ward. Therefore, leaders in the study area should play the role of transformational leadership effectively in managing small-scale irrigation by practicing a participatory approach to farmers problem-solving.

Physical performance of small-scale irrigation scheme: a case study of Tilku Fetam irrigation scheme, Awi zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia

Physical performance of small-scale irrigation scheme: a case study of Tilku Fetam irrigation scheme, Awi zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia

Correction to: Performance Evaluation of Small-Scale Irrigation Scheme: a Case Study of Golina Small-Scale Irrigation Scheme, North Wollo, Ethiopia

Correction to: Performance Evaluation of Small-Scale Irrigation Scheme: a Case Study of Golina Small-Scale Irrigation Scheme, North Wollo, Ethiopia

Evaluating the performance of small‐scale irrigation schemes in subhumid Ethiopian highlands

AbstractThis study was conducted to evaluate the performance of two small‐scale irrigation (SSI) schemes in the subhumid Ethiopian highlands. Water application at the farm level and flow velocity along the main canal were monitored using a Parshall flume and current meter, respectively. The infiltration was measured at the head, middle and tail of the scheme within the command area using a double‐ring infiltrometer. Soil samples were collected using an auger up to 60 cm in depth. Climatic and agronomic data were supplied to the crop water assessment tool (CROPWAT) to determine crop water requirements. The results showed that the average conveyance efficiency for the lined main canal was 90% and 92% for the Mugie and Fesas SSI schemes, respectively. The conveyance efficiency for the unlined main canal was in the order of 86% and 87% for the Mugie and Fesas SSI schemes, respectively. On the other hand, the average application efficiency and overall efficiency were found to be 56% and 51%, respectively, with a storage efficiency of 50% for the Mugie irrigation scheme. Similarly, the overall, application and storage efficiencies were 50%, 54% and 56%, respectively, for the Fesas irrigation scheme. Failure of operating gates, canal siltation and leakage through the main canals were the main causes of poor performance.

The influences on farmers' planned and actual farm adaptation decisions: Evidence from small-scale irrigation schemes in South-Eastern Africa

Studies are scarce linking planned farmer adaptation practices with their actual practices over time. This study addresses this gap by investigating planned and actual adaptation behaviour, using data collected in 2014 and 2017, from various irrigation schemes in south-eastern Africa. Four planned farm adaptation indexes were created and analysed, with findings suggesting that land size, previous adaptation experience and credit access were positively associated with all types of adaptation. The results from the two waves of survey analysis also indicated very different influences between planned and actual practices, with the proportion of farmers actually undertaking a particular practice far greater than those who planned to undertake it. This result might be related to the project intervention within the study schemes, where numerous factors previously hampering irrigation were resolved, increasing farmers' ability to adapt. Enhancing the availability and quality of education, extension services and finance could be valuable in encouraging further farm adaptation.

Do Governance Perceptions Affect Cooperativeness? Evidence from Small-Scale Irrigation Schemes in Northern Ghana

We use household survey data and results from a lab-in-the-field experiment to examine the impact of governance perceptions on the cooperativeness of water users in the maintenance of 19 small-scale irrigation schemes in northern Ghana. Cooperativeness is measured by two indicators, one indicator derived from the experiment and the other obtained from the survey. We distinguish the governance perceptions of users into six main components, and regress the two indicators on these six components. We consistently find for both indicators that cooperativeness is lower when users perceive that their water user association (WUA) is more successful in resolving conflicts. We also find that perceptions of accountability, transparency, and participation in governance jointly affect cooperativeness in a positive way, but collinearity problems refrain us from identifying which component(s) do(es) so. Type of leadership—whether or not the WUA leader was democratically elected—does not have a significant effect on cooperativeness, while having received irrigation-related training positively affects cooperativeness as measured by labor contributions to scheme maintenance. We argue that these novel insights can be of great importance for promoting sustainable management of small-scale irrigation schemes, but needs further research to examine its external validity.

Water Productivity, Farmers Satisfaction, and Sustainability of Selected Small Scale Irrigation Schemes in Salale Zone, Ethiopia

In order to assess the potential, farmers satisfaction, and operation and maintenance issues of selected small scale irrigation schemes in Salale Zone Ethiopia, the study was designed with key objectives of evaluating the current status of irrigation water productivity of the schemes; irrigation water users satisfaction, and structures, function, and power of water users association in sustainable operation and maintenance of irrigation schemes. Structured questionnaires focus group discussion, and key informant interview was employed to collect data for each considered irrigation schemes and the data was analyzed by using SPSS and descriptive statistics. The result overall revealed that there was low water productivity of the schemes when it was compared with acceptable limit values. In each considered irrigation scheme, irrigation water users were not satisfied in operation and maintenance of irrigation schemes and less satisfied in fair distribution of water and timeline of water distribution; but fairly satisfied in fee policy. From the perspectives of roles of irrigation water users in leadership, resource mobilization, infrastructure management, equity in water distribution, and conflict management; there was a gap in effectively performing all such activities so that the overall productivity of schemes becomes very low. In general, the research indicated that there was a problem in improving water productivity, farmers’ satisfaction, role of irrigation water users in management, operation, and maintenance of schemes which need due consideration to sustain small scale irrigation schemes so that it will play the intended roles in attaining food security

ON- FIELD WATER MANAGEMENT OF GOLDA SMALL SCALE IRRIGATION SCHEME: THE CASE OF ASSOSA, NORTH-WEST OF ETHIOPIA

Miss management of available water for irrigation, both at system and farm level has led to a range of problems and further aggravated water availability and has reduced the benefits of irrigation investments. To solve irrigation water management problem; appropriate irrigation scheduling practices could lead to increased yields and greater profit for farmers, significant water savings, reduced environmental impacts of irrigation and improved sustainability of irrigated agriculture. This study was conducted for evaluating on-field water management of Golda small scale irrigation scheme which is found at Assosa, North- west of Ethiopia. In this study both secondary and primary data sources were used. Soil samples were collected for the determination of soil moisture, field capacity, and permanent wilting point, soil pH, organic matter content, total nitrogen and available phosphorous. Infiltration rate of the soil, crop water requirement, irrigation requirement and irrigation scheduling were determined. Application efficiency, storage efficiency and distribution uniformity of the system was evaluated. The organic matter content and available phosphorous of the soil were lowbut total nitrogen was high. Farmers were applying the same irrigation interval in each growth stage of the irrigated crop but crops are required different amount of water at different irrigation interval within each growth stage. The Application efficiency, storage efficiency and distribution uniformity were determined and the values were 51.6%, 91.6% and 80.76% respectively. Generally, irrigation users did not have sense of ownership for the scheme; poor irrigation water management was a problem as I have observed.

Evaluation of hydraulic performance on Lower Areb small-scale irrigation scheme Amhara, Ethiopia

This study was conducted in the Lower Areb small-scale irrigation scheme for one crop season from March to May 2018 to evaluate the hydraulic performance of the scheme by estimating the hydraulic performance indicators, physical performance indicators, and maintenance performance indicators. The primary data, including water flow rate, soil physical properties, and water infiltration, were collected. The secondary data collected were climatic, crop data, and data from different reports and design documents including the irrigation water users' interviews. The hydraulic performance of the irrigation scheme was evaluated by estimating adequacy, efficiency, dependability, and equity indicators at nine selected offtakes; three each at the head, middle, and tail reaches of the scheme. The physical performance and maintenance indicators were determined using the irrigation ratio, the sustainability of the irrigated area, the effectiveness of infrastructure, and the water surface elevation ratio. The data were analyzed using CROPWAT 8.0, ARC GIS 10.1 software, and Microsoft Excel 2013. The overall average values of adequacy, efficiency, dependability, and equity were found to be 0.89, 0.91, 0.096, and 0.07, respectively. Therefore, dependability, equity, and efficiency were under good condition and adequacy was under fair condition. The irrigation ratio and sustainability of irrigated areas were 54% and 123%, respectively. The effectiveness of infrastructure and water surface elevation ratios were 73.33% and 94%, respectively.