IMPACT OF SMALL-SCALE IRRIGATION ON FOOD SECURITY STATUS OF RURAL HOUSEHOLDS’: THE CASE OF ARBAMINCH ZURIA WOREDA, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

In Ethiopia, small-scale irrigation is thought to be one of the most useful irrigation systems which have a profound impact on food security. Therefore, this study focused on the impact of small-scale irrigation on rural household food security with specific reference to Arbaminch zuria woreda of Gamo Zone SNNP Regional State. In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, the study employed a three-stage sampling technique to select sample households. The primary data was collected from 379 sample households’ while the secondary data were collected from different documents. To this end, setting the food insecurity line; measuring the incidence, depth and severity of rural food insecurity in the study area have been made. Results of the FGT food insecurity index revealed that about 51.45 percent of the sample rural households reside below food insecurity line with 15.2 percent and 6.57 percent food insecurity gap and food insecurity severity, respectively. Further food insecurity was significantly higher in Weyna Dega than the rest of the two agro-climatic zones. The study used the PSM model to analyze the impacts of small-scale irrigation on food security in which the Logit model was used to identify factors affecting household participation decision in small-scale irrigation. The PSM model results revealed that irrigation-user households led a better life as compared to non-users. The significant variables that are found to determine households’ participation in small scale irrigation were the age of household head, education status of the household head, family size of a household in adult equivalence, ownership of tropical livestock units (TLU), household dependency ratio, cultivated land size and frequency of extension contact. The intervention in small scale irrigation revealedequivalent. Average Treatment effect on treated (ATT) shows that participation in small scale irrigation increased daily caloric intake by 2135.19 kcal, over non-participant households. The sensitivity analysis result showed that the impact estimates on significant outcome variables were insensitive to unobserved selection bias. As per the finding of the study, the negative significant effect of dependency ratio has an adverse implication on family planning while a positively significant effect of land size has a multiplier effect in irrigation scheme participation. Therefore, awareness creations on family planning and strengthening crop-livestock production have a comparative advantage to harvest the fruits of small-scale irrigation. In general, providing education services for rural households, arranging training services and experience sharing to seiner farmers is advisable to improve and sustain the positive impact of irrigation by reducing major constraints in order to improving food security