Small-scale Irrigation Development Project to improve food security and Ziway lake shore environment rehabilitation at Adami-Tulu-Jido district

Previous and ongoing Experience

The previous projects were successful in terms of creating high demand for irrigation-based production in the community of the project area. The projects that were initiated few years ago have now started to plant hope in the area. The farmers who had the chance of getting water pumps and involved in the production of vegetables in the pervious interventions have showed better living standards. Families with irrigation plot supported by SEDA, Financed by Oxfam America and Urk (Holland) have shown great livelihood improvements. Their children were in good body condition and better dressed when compared to the other farmer's family members and kids. Some of the owners of improved cattle and irrigation plots are started to send their children to school because they have freed from herding low income generating cattle as a result of income improvement. Some of the farmers started to produce forage reserves to bridge drought periods. Families with irrigation plot are producing at least two times per/year now, positively affecting food security of the area.

The major reasons that can be mentioned for the past projects’ success are, first, the project design was focused on the need of the community and initiatives, second, the projects were formulated/designed with the full participation of the beneficiaries and thirdly, the implementation design was simple and applicable and the beneficiaries implement the project on individual base and the technology adopted for both dairy and small-scale irrigation was as simple as that can be handled by the farmers themselves. The ownership nature of the project by private farmers (of the farm plot and improved heifers) has also greatly contributed to the success of the past project.

Environmental conservation was also enhanced as a result of reduced number of cattle and controlled natural grazing in the area. The carry capacity of the area is estimated to be about 0.4TLU/hectare while the existing livestock population is about 4.7TLU/hectare, putting greater pressure on the scarce fodder resources. This has caused severe environmental degradation in the very fragile ecosystem of the rift valley. This intended project is incorporated environmental issues as one component to support the sustainability of the project. These are some of the lessons and positive indicators from the pilot projects, which are basis for the extension, and expansion of the project to other needy community members.

Currently, SEDA has initiated small-scale irrigation project adjacent to Lake Ziway. The project at this stage has embraced 50 farmers (HH), and women group. Each participant has accessed to 0.40 ha or 4000 m2 irrigable plot of land. The target groups are cultivating vegetables like tomato; pepper and onion during the first harvest season and feasible crops will be cultivated with rotation and inter-cropping pattern. This experience and lesson has shown SEDA to expand the farmers’ based irrigation to other needy community members in the area that will cover about 35 hectares.

Current Project

The intended project will operate in Adamitulu Jido kombolcha district of Eastern Shawa Zone of Oromiyaa region. It is located about 160 km away from Addis Ababa, on the road to Awassa. The project area is characterized by dry low land Agro-climate of the rift valley region with the altitude ranging from 1576-1750 m.a.s.l. It has bi-modal rainfall pattern with erratic condition and insignificant mean monthly precipitation. The potential evapo-transpiration is higher than the precipitation in the project area. The project area is also categorized as one of the food insecure areas in the country by DPPC and WFP.

The project will have the following components and focus in its future operations:

1. Small scale irrigation development
2. Lake shore rehabilitation
3. Vegetable marketing assessment

SEDA mobilized the resource and provided the capital goods – the community took care of its part