Water storage practices for small-scale irrigation systems in East Hararghe zone, Ethiopia

Abstract Agricultural productions of smallholder farmers are vulnerable to rainfall shortage and variability in Ethiopia. Thus, this study was aimed to examine water storage strategies practiced by farmers for small-scale irrigation systems in East Hararghe zone, Ethiopia. Data were collected from 300 irrigation user households using an interview schedule. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate probit (MVP) model. The research findings revealed that about 62.67, 54.33, 20.33 and 17.67% of households have used borehole, shallow wells, hand-dug, and farm pond water storage practices for small-scale irrigation, respectively. The finding of the MVP model showed that the choice of using borehole water storage practices affected by education level and frequency of extension contacts. The choice of shallow wells to store water was influenced by livestock size, participation in non-farm activities, and the use of the improved seed. Furthermore, the choice of using hand-dug is affected by household size, farm size, access to training, external support, and weather information. Finally, the size of livestock ownership influenced the choice of ponds for small-scale irrigation. Therefore, various stakeholders should work to enhance the water storage capacity of the farmers by reducing the hindrances and strengthening enabling factors in the study areas.