The recent increase in smallholder irrigation schemes in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia has been associated with the overexploitation of water resources, while the economic viability of these schemes has been questioned. This paper assesses water use efficiencies of the Haleku Irrigation Scheme and quantifies improvement scenarios. The viability of these scenarios is discussed, taking into account the socio-economic performance of the Haleku Irrigation Scheme and the nearby Dodicha Irrigation Scheme -that feature similar settings but contrasting socio-economic performance.The irrigation efficiency of Haleku is 35%, but conveyance losses and application efficiencies vary widely across the scheme. Scenario results indicate scope for improvement and reduced water abstraction. Yields and economic returns of irrigated crops were higher in Haleku than in Dodicha, but yields are still lower than attainable yields. Any strategy to increase irrigation efficiency will have to include a programme to improve crop productivity and economic returns.Considering the over-abstraction of water resources, the poor irrigation performance of Haleku and the disappointing socioeconomic performance of both Haleku and Dodicha suggest that policy should focus on improving existing schemes in the Central Rift Valley instead of further developing new ones. Copyright # 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. RÉ SUMÉ L'augmentation récente des périmètres irrigués à petite échelle dans la vallée centrale du Rift, en É thiopie a été associée à la surexploitation des ressources en eau, tandis que la viabilité économique de ces emménagements a été mise en doute. Cette étude évalue l'efficacité de l'utilisation d'eau du système irrigué de Haleku et quantifie les scénarios d'amélioration. La viabilité de ces scénarios est discutée en tenant compte des performances socio-économiques de l'aménagement de Haleku et de celles du système irrigué de Dodicha. Les deux sont géographiquement proches, présentent des caractéristiques physiques similaires, mais diffèrent par les performances socio-économiques. L'efficacité de l'irrigation de Haleku est de 35%, mais les pertes de transport et efficacité de l'application varient considérablement au sein du périmètre. Les scénarios appliqués indiquent des possibilités d'amélioration et de réduction des prélèvements d'eau. Les rendements et la rentabilité économique des cultures irriguées sont plus élevés à Haleku qu'à Dodicha, mais les rendements sont toujours inférieurs aux rendements réalisables. Toute stratégie visant à accroître l'efficacité d'irrigation devra inclure un programme de l'amélioration de la productivité des cultures et la rentabilité économique.Compte tenu de la surexploitation des ressources en eau, la performance médiocre de l'irrigation à Haleku et la performance décevante socio-économique des deux emménagements Haleku et Dodicha, il est suggéré que la politique devrait se concentrer
The objective of this research was to examine spatial patterns of soil erosion, identify erosion hotspots and investigate the impact of land use changes on spatial patterns of soil erosion in the Jimma zone, Western Ethiopia. The area is one of the regions that produce coffee which is an export commodity and known for its good forest cover and undulating topography. Additionally, the rivers in the area are currently being developed for hydropower generation and more hydropower projects have been proposed by government downstream. Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) coupled with GIS was used to identify areas that are susceptible for soil erosion and hotspots for erosion. The impact of land cover change was assessed through the analysis of readily available NDVI imagery. About 14.3 and 18.1 percent of the area fall in the very high erosion risk class (>50 metric tons ha-1yr-1) for the years periods (2001 and 2013) considered for this study respectively. Moreover, the total soil loss in the study area (1,824,878 ha) for the year 2001 and 2013 was found to be 90.2 x 10 6 and 115.9 x 10 6 metric tons respectively. The result of the analysis indicates that within 10 years period (2001-2013), there was an increment in erosion potentials (susceptibility) and parts especially with undulating topography where crop production practiced is much susceptible for erosion. More interestingly, four out of five districts with very high erosion susceptibility levels are those that drain to a reservoir of one of the important hydro power plant that have cascading dams downstream and calls for immediate intervention.
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