Application of Benchmarking and Principal Component Analysis in Measuring Performance of Public Irrigation Schemes in Kenya

Abstract

The Inefficient water use, varying and low productivity in Kenya public irrigation schemes is a major concern.  It is therefore necessary to periodically monitor and evaluate the performance of public irrigation schemes. The performance of public irrigation in western Kenya was assessed by combining benchmarking methodology and principal component analysis. The aim was to quantify and rank the performance of pumped public irrigation schemes in Kenya. Eleven benchmarking indicators were computed for the period from 2012 to 2016 and compared to global benchmark values. The indicators used fall under agricultural productivity, water supply and financial performance categories. The computed agricultural productivity was 36%–51% in Ahero, 23%–42% in West Kano and 26%–50% Bunyala irrigation scheme. Water supply performance in Ahero, West Kano and Bunyala irrigation schemes varied from 24% to 58%, 3% to 49% and 19% to 43% respectively. Financial performance varied from 46% to 54% in Ahero, 25% to 32% in West Kano and 54%–56% in Bunyala irrigation scheme. An average overall performance efficiency of 46%, 39% and 31% was obtained in Ahero, Bunyala and West Kano irrigation schemes respectively. The performance of the irrigation schemes is very poor and measures on improving performance are needed.

Assessing the Effectiveness of Koftu's Small-Scale Irrigation Schemes in Enhancing Water Resource Utilization in Ethiopia.

“…Ethiopia's water resource is vast, but due to a lack of well-organized research on integrated water resource management and finance, only a small portion of it has been developed for agriculture (Muema et al, 2018;Tadesse, 2006). Insufficient or excessive water distribution within each sector has resulted from a lack of hydrological knowledge, unimplemented water allocation methods and processes, and ignorance about allocation priority in the sub-basin (Ayana et al, 2012;Neibling, 2006;Tumebo et al, 2008).…”

“…Indicators can be used to assess the irrigation schemes' performance. Process of performance indicators are examples of these indicators (Masasi, 2020;Muema et al, 2018). However, neither in the research region nor in Ethiopia is the performance evaluation of community-managed irrigation projects widespread.…”

Modeling Optimal Canal Conveyance Capacity for the Ahero Irrigation Scheme using the Hydrologic Engineering Centre River Analysis System (HEC-RAS)

“…Canal conveyance losses minimize the amount of water available for paddy irrigation at the Ahero Irrigation Scheme in Kisumu County, Kenya. This is because irrigation canal hydraulic losses reduce the quantity of water that is available for irrigation (Muema 2018). Under-yields and conflicts over the limited water delivered at the tail-end of the network thus characterize the scheme.…”