Abstract
Small scale irrigation is one of the most useful practice designed to increase production and productivity while reduces risk related with climate variability and improving livelihood of rural farm households indeed. So, the main objective of this paper is to investigate the contribution of Small-Scale Irrigation to improve livelihood and enhancing adaptive capacity to climate variability of smallholder farmers in the study area. In study area available irrigation potential but still know this practice poorly managed by smallholder farmers.
This study was initiated to investigate whether SSI practice contributes to improving lives and enhancing the adaptive capacity of climate variability to smallholder farmers or not. A multi-stage stratified sampling procedure was used to select 156 samples household from both irrigation user and non-user living within the three kebeles. Quantitative data analysis through descriptive statistics, degree of adaptive capacities household index and qualitative study were used to reach reliable results as well as data gathered from both primary and secondary sources. The survey results revealed that, mean annual income of the irrigation users and non-users were found to be 27,959.11ETB; 18,667.40ETB respectively and minimum 3,500ETB; 1,500ETB and maximum 126,500ETB; 20,840ETB respectively. The average annual income of both groups is significant different at 95% level. This indicates that irrigators have better attainment annual income from agricultural production and high adaptive capacity as compare to non-irrigators. Irrigation users have more use selective valuable adaptation strategy gotten output on short period of time and more asset holding, besides the evidence has ensured that poor grown of agricultural production during climate variability. The logit model revealed that household family size, age, education level, number of livestock, credit service, market information, farm distance, access to non-farm activity and annual income were found significant determinants of SSI use. However, to enhance the adaptive capacity impact and livelihood improvement of SSI was constrained due to lack of access to and distance from irrigable water sources, poor canal, initial capital, presence of disease and pests, lack of an effective marketing system. Thus, improving institutional support towards capacitating, training, and improved irrigation technology would play an inevitable role in enhancing the effect of irrigation on livelihood improvement, asset building and enhancing the adaptive capacity of household farmers towards climate variability.
Keywords: Adaptation strategy, annual income, climate variability, physical Asset, traditional river diversion canal.
