Pre-Extension Demonstration of Low-Cost Family Drip Irrigation versus Furrow Irrigation for Improving Livelihood of Small-Scale Farmers in Southern Tigray

Abstract

Irrigated agriculture plays a major role in food security, producing nearly 40 percent (%) of food and agricultural commodities. Well-organized use of water is seen as a key to crop production in semi-arid and arid areas of Ethiopia. For smallholder farmers, low-cost drip irrigation systems provide a means of maximizing return on their cropland by increasing the agricultural productivity per unit of land; and through increasing cropping intensity during the dry season. Pre-extension of low-cost and appropriate micro-irrigation system had been designed and carried out in Ofla district, Fala kebelle to create awareness for smallholder farmers about yield optimizing technologies like drip irrigation and to offers a viable opportunity for sustainably increasing household income through the use of low-cost drip irrigation.  A family drip irrigation and surface irrigation system have been used for the pre demonstration and a Mareko Fana pepper variety was undertaken. The result indicated drip irrigation method saved 43.42% water and gave 32.2% more yield as compared to that of surface irrigation system in the demonstrated district. And higher water productivity about 4.36 kg/m³ was obtained in drip irrigation method; whereas lower productivity was obtained in surface irrigation system. drip irrigation system was working satisfactorily according to its design and farmer, development agents and woreda expert have positively perceived in drip irrigation as compared to surface irrigation system.

Keywords: Pre-demonstration, Drip irrigation, Surface system, Pepper, Water productivity, Farmer

DOI: 10.7176/JEES/11-2-02

Publication date: February 28^th 2021