Browsing by Author "Belay, Gehrehiwot"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The Contribution of Irrigation Development on Household Poverty Reduction in Ethiopia: A Case Study of Adiha Irrigation Scheme, Kola- Tembien Woreda, Central Zone Of Tigray, Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2010-07) Belay, Gehrehiwot; Hassen, Ali (PhD)
    To tackle the problem of dependency on nature dictated agriculture and improve the food security situation of the population, the government of Ethiopia gave due emphasis to irrigation development. Accordingly, a number of irrigation schemes were constructed. This study was conducted with the general purpose of assessing the contribution of irrigation development on household food security in Kola Tembien Woreda, Adiha Tabia. Primary data was collected through household survey, key informants interviews, focus group discussion and personal observation. Relevant secondary data was also reviewed. Both quantitative (descriptive statistics) and qualitative data analysis methods were employed. While comparing the irrigation users and rain f ed households, the majority of the irrigation users were found to have been able to f eed themselves (38% 12 months, 24.3% more than 10 months) from their own production while the non-irrigators only feed themselves from six to nine months. The trend of owning assets is in a better position for irrigators (21 out of 37 irrigators) than for non-irrigators (16 out of 69). In terms of modem input utilization, the irrigators have utilized a relatively higher amount than the non irrigators. When comparing the labour utilization, 63% of the irrigation users and 23% of the non-irrigation users employed hired labour in their field. This signifies irrigation demands more labour and as a result it creates job opportunities for the surrounding population. The major challenges that inhibit the optimal utilization of the irrigation scheme are lack of market, poor infrastructure, failure or cultural resistance to adopt modem technologies, inefficient water utilization, inadequate government support and very high fertilizer price.