Spate Irrigation Ethiopia
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Irrigation and Water Engineering Group Thesis Report Dodota Spate Irrigation System Ethiopia A case study of Spate Irrigation Management and Livelihood options M.Sc. Thesis by John-Paul van den Ham Wageningen, November 2008 I II Dodota Spate Irrigation System Ethiopia A case study of Spate Irrigation Management and Livelihood options Master thesis Irrigation and Water Engineering submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Science in International Land and Water Management at Wageningen University, The Netherlands John-Paul van den Ham Wageningen November 2008 Final Version Supervisors: Prof. L.F. Vincent (WUR) Dr. F. van Steenbergen Wageningen University Department of Environmental Sciences Irrigation and Water Engineering Group I II SUMMARY SUMMARY This case study focuses on the water management of the Dodota spate irrigation system, the first large scale spate irrigation system in Ethiopia. This system in the Oromia state has been recently designed and constructed to establish food-self sufficiency in an area chronically affected by food deficits and supported by food aid for over 25 years. The following main research question guided this study: How is water management taking place in the new Dodota spate irrigation system and what are the impacts and effects for irrigation, soil conservation practices, and production? Spate irrigation is amongst the oldest form of irrigation for which floods are diverted through wadi´s for direct irrigation. It has specific site characteristics and is known for its uncertain water availability and scale of sedimentation and the challenges of infrastructure and the water distribution given its severe operation and maintenance requirements. The socio-technical framework of Mollinga (2003) is used to understand how the technological and social dimension are connected and interrelated. In the study area, the agrarian structure is recognized by the dependency on food aid and a poor developed status. Here the Safety Net Programme and several governmental structures and extension services have supported the farmers to sustain and improve their livelihood. Farmers were completely dependent on rainfed agriculture and failed to produce sufficient food. With the new irrigation facilities livelihoods are expected to improve. The new system has a sophisticated design and deals with erosion, sedimentation and natural drainage, and even allows for water distribution with upstream control. But it is impossible to be managed by the farmers only, since it requires heavy machinery and skills for the operation and maintenance. For this reason the organisational activities have been divided, based on the spatial dimension of the scheme; the government will manage at scheme level and the Water User Association (WUA) at field level. These forms of organisations need to contribute efficiently and are both responsible for proper management to enable efficient and fair irrigation. At scheme level, the rules related to the allocation and delivery of water, need to be coordinated and controlled by the Oromia Water Works Construction Enterprise (OWWCE) in agreement with the WUAs in the District Board of Management. The establishment of the WUAs will take care of the coordination and control of the water distribution, maintenance and operation in the tertiary units. To make proper and successful use of the new system, adaptation in land and water rights and cultivation practices of the farmers is essential. The land rights are established for the study area, but water rights are completely new. Last year 300ha was irrigated. This first irrigation experience showed that farmers were willing and motivated to cooperate, but at the same time their cultivation and irrigation practices were lacking behind. Here the state and irrigation institutions play an important role to involve the farmers in the operation and maintenance of the system and to transform their livelihoods. The Sustainable Livelihood Approach (DFID, 2002) was used to study this and showed that the transforming structures and processes need to operate at all levels. The success of the system will depend on the actual performance of the system to enable farmers to increase their production. Better insight in the actual water division and distribution is needed and by monitoring the water availability and the crop water requirements, water management can be improved. This study has indicated that it is sustainable to use pre-irrigation for a single crop season. But in the future the individual choices of farmers will change the irrigation requirements in the tertiary units, the branch canals and for the scheme as a whole and therefore, will be important to consider. Sustainable development focuses besides technology, mainly on the suitable management of the scheme, to deal with issues and to realise positive social effects, in order to sustain proper operation and maintenance. Hereby it is important to support the transformation structures with required education and training. Sustainable management needs clear policies and guidelines, to establish fair water sharing to improve the livelihood of all farmers. I II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The realisation of this thesis has been the greatest work of my life. It was an enormous adventure and taught me more than I could have imagined. I am grateful to achieve this final work, but it would not have been possible without the support of many others. First of all I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Frank van Steenbergen, who gave me this opportunity. In a certain way it reminded me of a so called ‘once in a life time opportunity’ in which things are as they should be. Six weeks after meeting Frank I was on my way to Ethiopia. This was my third visit to Africa, but certainly the most impressive one. During my stay I have been surrounded by several professionals who supported my study. Some even became close friends. Here I would like to mention some names in particular, especially Taye Alemayehu, who gave me trust, respect and support to find my way in this part of the world. During my stay I visited the Dodota system and stayed at the engineering base camp, here I met the Chief Executive Engineer, Jagema Kenine, who intensively supported my study and became a close friend. He introduced me to many people and showed me the local cultures and traditions. Also I would like to thank the project manager of the OWWCE, Feyissa Benti and field engineer Welkite, for their support, hospitality and kindness. With joy I remember my stay. I have not been in Ethiopia for quite some time now, but I hope to meet them again and I wish health and prosperity to all. For supervision and advice I would like to thank Prof. Linden Vincent, who was willing to guide me. Without her professional support I would have probably lost the overview. She had patience and helped me to find my way, our discussions made me enthusiastic and passionate. Besides all people who supported me in Africa and from the Wageningen University I would like to thank my parents for supporting me in all possible ways. It was not always easy being far away and studying intensively. My friends from Wageningen and Schoonhoven missed me too and this I appreciated a lot. Finally I would like to thank my girlfriend who was with me all the time and never let me down. III IV CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... III 1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Problem statement...................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background ................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Study area................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Conceptual framework ............................................................................................... 4 1.5 Problem definition...................................................................................................... 7 1.6 Objectives................................................................................................................... 7 1.7 Research questions ..................................................................................................... 7 1.7.1 Main research questions..................................................................................... 7 1.7.2 Sub questions...................................................................................................... 7 1.8 Research methodology ............................................................................................... 8 1.8.1 Research strategy................................................................................................ 8 1.8.2 Sources of information....................................................................................... 9 1.9 Outline of the chapters ............................................................................................. 10 2 SPATE IRRIGATION ..................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Spate irrigation in Ethiopia .....................................................................................