Impact Assessment of Rainwater Harvesting Ponds: The Case of Alaba Woreda, Ethiopia
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2006-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
A.A.U
Abstract
This study assesses the determinants of households' adoption of rainwater harvesting
ponds, and its impact on agricultural intensification and yield in Alaba Woreda
southern Ethiopia. Results are based on data collected from a survey of 152
households and 1036 plots operated by the households. Households were stratified into
those with rain water harvesting ponds and those without from which equal number of
sample households ware drawn. Analysis of descriptive information and econometric
methods are used. analysis of qualitative information supplemented the econometric
results.
The finding in the cropping pattern shows that, farm households have started to grow
new crops (vegetables and perennial crops) as a result of water availability from the
water harvesting ponds, Results of Pro bit analysis on the determinants of adoption of
rainwater harvesting ponds shows that household size, education status of household
head, ownership of livestock (cattle, oxen and pack animals), homestead plots and type
of pond explained adoption statistically significantly. Results of analysis of qualitative
information, consistent, with the Probit model results, also showed that labor
requirement, economic problem to use simpler water lifting and watering equipments,
inability to easily understand the benefit of the technology and problems related with
the structure of the RWH technology adopted were some of tire major problems faced
by households, and have a negative impact on the technology adoption rate.
The Ordinary Least Square estimation of tire determinants of the value of crop
production shows that adoption of RWH has a positive and statistically significant
effect on value of crop production, after controlling for input use and other factors.
This shows that RWH ponds have direct and significant impact on value of crop
production. We also find that households with RWH technology use more labor and
seed but less oxen power compared with those households who have not adopted the
technology. Moreover, labor and seed inputs have positively significant impact on yield
while the effect of oxen power is insignificant. These res lilts show that in addition to its
direct impact, RWH has significant indirect impact all value of crop production
through its effect on intensity of input use.
Labor requirements and cost considerations appear to be important factors that
influence household's adoption of RWH technology. This implies that research and
development interventions need to take account of the labor and cost demands of the
technology. The effectiveness of the technology adoption is mainly constrained by
problems related to water lifting and watering equipments, and accidents occurring
due to absence of roof cover and fence to the ponds. This implies that support will be
needed to provide affordable but improved water lifting and watering equipments, and
give training to farm households on construction and use of roof covers and fences to
tire ponds. As households shift to high value but perishable commodities due to the
RWH, emphasis needs to be given to marketing extension, especially in facilitating
markets and market linkages to farmers.
Future intervention to promote RWH technologies need to provide due attention to
quality, rather than focusing on the number of adopters. Households appear to neglect
the community ponds since they focus on using cleaner water obtained from household
ponds and other sources of clean water. In this process the community ponds are
becoming a cause of health problems. Thus, it is important that appropriate attention
be given to the community ponds as well.
Description
Keywords
Impact Assessment, Rainwater Harvesting Ponds