Small Scale Irrigation and its Determinant Factors in Central Ethiopia: Empirical Evidences from Walmara District

Abstract

Small-scale irrigation is the feasible way by which agricultural production and productivity can be enhanced to meet the ever-growing food demand of populated countries like Ethiopia. This study was conducted to assess factors affecting farm households’ participation decision in small-scale irrigation using the primary data collected from 220 sample households from Walmara district, central Ethiopia. Both descriptive and econometric data analyses were conducted to analyze the collected data. The logistic regression result revealed that the sex of the household head, size of land owned, the occurrence of crop pests during the main season, family size, and access to credit services were the variables that positively and significantly affected household participation decision in small scale irrigation, while age of the household head, number of livestock owned and distance from irrigation site were the variables that negatively and significantly affected households’ participation decision in small-scale irrigation. Therefore, agricultural policy interventions that promoting the establishment of institutions that providing financial, material and technical supports to farmers are recommended.