Impact of small-scale irrigation schemes on farmers livelihood, the case of Mekdela Woreda, North-East Ethiopia

Abstract

Small scale irrigation has multi-dimensional effects on the livelihood development of the rural people in Ethiopia. Thus, the main objective of this study was to examine the impact of small-scale irrigation on farmers’ livelihood. A stratified random sampling technique was applied to select 96 users and 162 non-user sample respondents. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and an econometric model. Binary logit and Endogenous switching regressions model were employed to identify the determinant of small-scale irrigation participation and its impact on farmers’ livelihood respectively. The Binary logit model result indicates that age and age square of the household, own cultivated land, off-farm job participation, extension contact, distance from homestead to a nearly local market, distance from home to the scheme, and having irrigation user neighbor are significant factors affect farmers’ decision to practice irrigation. To capture the impact of irrigation on farmers’ livelihood, the total income of the household was used in the endogenous switching regression model. The model result shows that the positive and significant impact of irrigation schemes had increased users’ total income by 7829 ETB (8.5%), as compared to non-users. This shows how significant the role of a small-scale irrigation scheme in improving the livelihood condition of farmers in the study area. The finding of this study shows that improving access to market and water for irrigation, provision of extension, and other complementary services would increase the participation of irrigation and improve livelihood.

Keywords:

• endogenous switching regressions
• income
• impact
• livelihood
• small scale irrigation

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Ethiopia has many international rivers, high groundwater potential, natural lakes suitable for irrigation, which believes to have 5.1 million hectares of land that can be developed through irrigation but the irrigated area of land is only 10%. Agricultural production in the country predominantly depends on rainfall and drought is becoming frequent many people have been repeatedly exposed to hunger and famine. Irrigation farming regarded as a strategy for agricultural transformation in the developing country for food security, poverty reduction, and livelihood development by transforming subsistence agriculture. The country intensively constructs various irrigation schemes. Thus, expanding irrigation schemes requires, quantifying and examining the real impact of these schemes, identifying socio-economic and institutional problems and putting the possible implications is essential. The study concluded that irrigation farming increased income significantly. It is therefore recommended that small scale irrigation is good strategies to improve agricultural production, asset, income and livelihood.

Disclosure statement

The authors declares no competing interests.

Notes

1. This operationalize as the study year.

2. 1USD = 28.1089 ETB @ survey time 2019.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Eliyas Assefa

Eliyas Assefa an Agricultural Economist works on government and non-governmental organizations projects as Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Project coordinator and project technical officer positions. He has implementing and design several projects, Monitoring and Evaluation Plans, Carried out analysis of commodity value chains. He has worked on projects focus on livelihood improvement of poor household and youth, economic empowerment of women and people with disabilities. Now, he is a Project coordinator in Women Empowerment Action. Impact and adoption analysis, socio-economics assessments, gender-related analysis, value chain, and supply chain analysis, sustainable livelihood analysis, poverty analysis, and economic valuation are the author’s interest areas of research.