| Abstrakt: |
Even though small-scale irrigation (SSI) is a practical solution to address issues like poverty, food insecurity, and low farm production, its promise is often overlooked in Ethiopia. In the Demba Gofa District of southern Ethiopia, many rural households continued to rely primarily on rain-fed agriculture despite the possibility of irrigation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence the adoption of SSI in Demba Gofa and its effect on farm income. A cross-sectional explanatory research design with a mixed-methods approach was employed on a total of 369 households selected through a multistage sampling procedure. An econometric data analysis using the propensity score matching model was employed to evaluate the effect of small-scale participation on households' farm income. The analysis revealed that the gender of the household head, cultivated land area, market accessibility, livestock ownership, and credit service accessibility positively affect irrigation adoption. Households' irrigation adoption was negatively and significantly associated with the age of the household head and the distance of the farm from the irrigation site. Furthermore, households that did not adopt small-scale irrigation schemes lost 4831.77 ETB in farm revenue compared to those that did. Thus, the study advises the government to support the establishment of adequate, long canals and government-guaranteed credit services for smallholder farmers in order to boost household income and, consequently, food security. Agricultural agents ought to conduct routine evaluations of the canals' operation and offer farmers training to enhance their skills in the sustainable use of irrigation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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