Review on the Impact of Small Scale Irrigation Scheme on Household Income and Poverty Reduction in Ethiopia

Abstract

This seminar paper reviews those papers done on small scale irrigation scheme by different researchers using cross sectional data. The contribution of irrigation to poverty reduction at household level all mostly explained in this seminar. The small-scale irrigation schemes with the objective of increasing agricultural productivity to reduce the poverty situation of the farming communities and to reduce dependence on the erratic rainfall. The impact of small-scale irrigation on income of rural farm households has positive as different study shows that. The levels of income of irrigation user and non-user households are widely different as observed from different studies. According to Sesen (2013) the study, indicated that, the average income of irrigation users were ETB 4003.21 and their non-irrigation also ETB 797 the average income difference between them was ETB 2720.88. Anwar(2014) study also shows that the mean per capita farm income for irrigating households was found 8548 ETB and the non irrigating households was found in the range 5600-6150 ETB. On other hand factories influences farmers participation on small irrigation are: household head, access to extension, access to credit, availability of irrigable land, number of oxen, age, sex, education level, access to the water and family size have significant and positive effect. Access to good irrigation water contributes to socioeconomic uplifts of rural communities and alleviates poverty. These are production, income and consumption, employment, food security, and other social impacts contributing to overall improved social welfare. In general irrigation reduce poverty through increasing agricultural productivity, increasing household income, creating employment opportunity, stabilizing and reducing risk and by accesses to credit. Therefore, the government should be enhancing the expansion of small-scale irrigation to reduce poverty.

Keywords: Agriculture, Ethiopia, Household, impact, income, poverty reduction, small scale irrigation.

DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/57-02

Publication date:July 31^st 2019