Abstract:
This study intended to introduce the concept of comparative performance indicators with
some irrigation efficiencies indicators such as water application efficiency and distribution
uniformity as tool to evaluate the performance of two small scale irrigation projects namely
Ntende and Rwagitima located in Ntende Rwagitima marshland in Rwanda.
In order to evaluate the irrigation water use efficiency of farmers at field level three farmers
were selected from each irrigation projects in relation to their location (from the head, middle
and tail end) for required primary data collection while the comparative performance
indicators relied on the availability of secondary data required to calculate th e all nine
external indicator as developed by International Water Management Institute‟s. To analyze
the collected data different appropriate formulas, International Water Management Institute‟s
Comparative performance indicators calculation and Models like CROPWAT for seasonal
crop water requirement and irrigation requirement and AQUACROP for assessing the
potential land productivity in order to find out the performance gap were used.
From the data analysis, the resultants of water irrig ation efficiencies showed that the
application efficiencies of Kiliba are 64.77%, 60.62 and 60.59 respectively for field 1, field 2
and field 3 while the application efficiencies of Ntende are 62.47%, 60.16% and 60.39 %
respectively for field 1, field 2 and field 3. The values of distribution efficiency all fields
were found to be close to 100% while those of efficiency of the canal system to convey water
showed that there is water loss over a given travel distance because of earthen canal. For
comparative performance indicators, the resultants showed Ntende irrigation scheme
performs better in terms of land productivity compared to Kiliba while the latter is more
productive in terms of water productivity. The financial self-sufficiency of both schemes are
still lower (imbalance between incomes & expenditures) and both schemes are poorly
performing compared to their potentials land productivity..
