Trend, Status, and Challenges of Irrigation Development in Ethiopia—A Review

Ethiopia’s food supply and economy in general is largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture. Hence, irrigation development is vital to minimize the risk of crop failure and sustain agricultural production. The purpose of this review was to collect published and unpublished information from relevant sources and then review and synthesize key information on the trends and status of irrigation development and challenges threatening its implementation and sustainability. Historically, traditional irrigation based on farmers’ own initiative and indigenous knowledge has been practiced in Ethiopia for over 2000 years. However, well-planned, government-funded medium and large-scale irrigation development started only three decades ago. Specifically, significant progresses have been registered during the implementation of two consecutive five-year plans, the “Growth and Transformation Plans”. Currently, the total area equipped for irrigation has reached some 3.07 million hectares. However, the actual area irrigated is lower than this figure. The challenges facing the irrigation sector are related to study and design, construction or implementation, irrigation management, and lack of other support services such as extension, input services, and market. While the expansion of irrigation is still important, the poor performances and operational management of existing irrigation schemes needs to be given equal attention. As many of the problems are related to capacity and capability limitations, there is an urgent need for institutional and capacity development for the irrigation sector.