Preliminary Results on Smallholder Irrigation Technologies International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Dec 27, 2015
Preliminary Results on Smallholder Irrigation Technologies
International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Background Information • Objective: to Identify factors that influenced the adoption of
WLTs (particularly motor pumps) by smallholder farmers
• Case studies: Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray.
• Data collected from 800 (200 from each Region) randomly selected farm households.
1. Initiated and financed by smallholders themselves
2. Owned and individually or by small informal groups
3. Can irrigate small plots that can optimally managed by the smallholder
4. Need relatively less capital
6. Can be used in diversified water sources (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, shallow wells, ponds), Can be Integrated with Watershed Management
8. In many African countries the smallholder private irrigation is more important than public irrigation in terms of number of farmers involved and the value of the production.
Type – technology No. of farmers
Area under irrigation
Investment costs USD per ha
Main crop
Public irrigation schemes
11,000 7,185 ha 10,000 – 15,000 Rice
Small reservoirs 25,000 6,000 ha 6,000 – 15,000 Rice/vegetables
Motorized pumps 160,000 120,000 ha 500-1000 Vegetables
Buckets, watering cans
335,000 66,000 ha <25 Vegetables
Treadle pumps < 100 < 20 ha 500 Vegetables
9. Provide additional income when farmers need it most (some cross-country examples)•Burkina Faso,
– 94% of vegetable production is sold at local markets, generating revenue of US$350 per 0.1 hectare. Vegetable production increased in years when cereal yields were low (DSA 2005).
•Ethiopia, – On average, generates revenue of 1586 dollars/ha – High labor employment/ha– Lead to input intensification
•Ghana, – smallholder irrigation – primarily dry season vegetable cultivation - adds
between USD175 to 840 to household income.
Some facts on the Ground
Type of Technology
Amhara Tigray
supply on Stock % supply on Stock %
Geo-mebrien 55163 39500 72 NA NA NA
Treadle Pump 27829 22837 82 67278 47094 70
Drip 27186 15571 57 67508 61818 92
Motor Pump 21191 13568 64 13902 4227 30
Rope & Washer 1927 1640 85 105 0 0
Source: Amhara & Tigray Bureaus of Agriculture (2010)
Motor Pump
0500
100015002000250030003500400045005000
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
MP Supply
MP Distributed
Treadle Pump
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
TP Supply
TP Distributed
Drip Systems
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Drip Supply
Drip Distributed
Trend of Performance
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Trend MP
Trend TP
Trend drip
Region Household is aware of motor pump
Household has adopt motor pump
yes no % yes no %
Amhara 155 45 77.5 61 139 30.5
Oromia 175 25 87.75 59 141 29.5
SNNP 163 37 81.5 55 145 27.5
Tigray 168 32 84 54 146 27
Are Smallholders Aware about Technologies?
Cost of investment
Cost Component Average
Average CIF Value of water pump (Birr) 4668
Average tax per unit of water pump (Birr) 1832
Average purchase price/water pump (CIF+Tax) (Birr) 6500
Tax contributes 36%
Customs duty 10%
Value Added tax 15%
Sur tax 8%
Withhold tax 3%
Average Selling Price (Regional Bureaus of Water Resources) 8093.37
Cost of irrigation infrastructure, accessories and maintenance (Farmers’ response)
Type of infrastructure Average cost (Birr) Maximum cost (Birr)
Shallow well 4021.519 15000
Dug-out 957.9753 9450
Pond 1949.625 5000
Type of technology Average cost of
Accessories Maintenance (previous Year)
Maintenance (since Purchased)
Petrol Pump 1872 953 1420
Diesel Pump 1971 1792 2527
Challenges Equity•Pump-owners: generally are male, better-off farmers (Gender imbalance).
•High upfront investment costs, absence of financing tools, and limited access to investment and marketing information.
•Limited access to Credit
Resource sustainability•Many small dispersed points of water extraction.
•Risks of conflicts and environmental problems
Efficiency•Poorly developed equipment supply chain, low quality pumps, limited choice, high taxes and transaction costs.
•Lack of information and knowledge on irrigation, seeds, marketing and equipment.• •Lack of access to infrastructure; output markets are dominated by middlemen.
•Frequent breakdown of pumps and high maintenance cost
•Weak input & Spare-part supply
•Weak maintenance service
•Weak extension service
18
Business Model: Making Smallholder Irrigation Technologies Accessible/Affordable
18
Potential Outcomes:Affordability of irrigation technologiesMarket efficiency and better income to farmersEmployment opportunityTechnology transfer
Improve supply of Agricultural
Inputs (fertilizer, seed, chemical,
access to credit, etc.)
1
Improve Technical support Service
(technology supply chain, spare part,
maintenance, fuel &
lubricants, extension
service
2
Improve producers’ access to market
3
Address Problems in Output Market and Post-harvest
Management
Address Problems in Input Supply Chan
19
Improve the value chain
Enhance knowledge flow
Ensure technology access for all
Rethink energy and AWM
Adopt Watershed management
Solution pathways to enhance motor pump utilization by smallholders
54321
Research, Donor, government & private sector
Research, Donor, government & private sector
Activity 2aReduce import barriers and taxes
Activity 2bDevelop registry of dealers
Activity 2cProvide credit to dealers to enlarge their stock
Activity 1aEmpower farmers with information to make informed decisions on technology choice
Activity 1bEnsure farmers’ access to horticulture and marketing information
Activity 3bPilot irrigation service providers concept
Activity 4aStimulate alternative energy sources
Activity 5aAssess possible environmental impacts at multiple scales
Activity 3aExplore and pilot financial instruments
Activity 5bRecognize and address resource conflicts
Activity 1cImprove market infrastructure & address middlemen monopoly
Activity 4bConsider AWM in electrification plans and policies
Investment in this sector can benefit millions of poor men and women through additional income and improved food security and nutrition.
Activity 5cRecognize the importance of grassroots participation