Abstract
About 95% of Ethiopian agricultural product is mainly produced by rural smallholder farmers with low production. The low agricultural production and productivity in Ethiopia are due to backward agricultural technologies and limited access to improved inputs. Farmers who do not participate in irrigation have less knowledge on the importance of small-scale irrigation, they produce once a year and they are dependent on the rainfed crop.
The objective of the study was to evaluate the contribution of small-scale irrigation in improving the livelihood of households. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select sample respondents. Firstly the woreda and the kebeles were purposely selected due to the potential of irrigation schemes. Secondly, the sample households were stratified into two groups of irrigation participants and non-participants. Finally, respondents were randomly selected. 95% level of the confidence interval was used. To analyze data, descriptive and econometric models in STATA software were used. Family size, size, and ownership of cultivated land, access to an irrigation water source, distance to FTC, and frequency of attaining training had a significant effect on participating. Small-scale irrigation contributes to the increment of crop yields, livestock yields, changes in the cropping system, the introduction of new crop varieties, increase the consumption level, and enhance employment generation. The main findings of the research indicate that irrigation access enabled the sample households to grow crops more than once a year; to ensure increased stable production, income and consumption. The study concludes that small-scale irrigation is one of the feasible solutions to secure household food needs in the study area.
Keyword: Small-scale irrigation, livelihood, smallholder farmers, Merb-Leke
