Institutional Factors that Influence the Survival of Traditional Irrigation Schemes in Nyandira: A Case of Mvomero District, Morogoro, Tanzania

Abstract

Many studies on irrigation institutions in Tanzania have not focused on the survival of the traditional irrigation schemes. Therefore this study aimed to fill that knowledge gap. The main objective of this study was to assess institutional factors that influence survival of traditional irrigation schemes in Mvomero District, Tanzania. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design and data was collected from a sample of 200 respondents through household questionnaire survey. Additionally, focus group discussions and key informant interview methods were used in collecting the data. Multistage, purposive and simple random sampling methods were used. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis and quantitative data by Statistical package for social science. The results show that enforcement on water payment fees (β = +0.796), water committee (β = +0.159) and users conformity to rules and regulations (β = +0.060) are statistically significant at p < 0.001 while rules on water distribution (β = +0.0125) and land ownership (β = +0.096) are statistically significant at p < 0.01. Also, 57% of respondents had a positive attitude towards the importance of water permits. Furthermore, Gender relations are similar on access to (95%) and control (94%) over resources thus it was practiced jointly. Based on these results it is concluded that water user associations should be registered and apply for water permits to get public funds. This will strengthen the survival of traditional irrigation schemes in Tanzania.

Keywords: Institutional factors, Water permits and Gender Relations.