Analyzing the Impact of Small-Scale Irrigation Schemes on Household Food Security Status in Karat Zuria District of Konso Zone, Southern Ethiopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.82112/ijssb.v2i2.51Keywords:
Farm income; Food security; Propensity Score Matching; small scale irrigationAbstract
Small-scale irrigation is one of the suggested panaceas for intensifying the production and productivity of crops among the rural households. This study examined the impact of small-scale irrigation schemes on household food security status at Karat Zuria Woreda of Konso Zone, southern Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data were collected to achieve the objective of the study. Primary data were collected from 371 household heads using a two-stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics and econometrics model approach, such as the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) model, were used. The result of the Logit model revealed that participation in small-scale irrigation was positively affected by education, training, number of oxen, use of credit, access to irrigation water, off-farm income, and negatively by the age of the household head and the distance of the plot from a water source. The result of the PSM model revealed that 64% of irrigating households were food secured based on their energy intake, while only 25% from non -user households became food secured, whereas 36% from irrigation participants and 75% of non-participants were food secure. The average food consumption of user households was 2393.99 kcal, while that of non-participants was 2095.65 Kcal. Among the findings of the study, there were several factors that hindered households from utilizing irrigation. These factors include awareness, sharing training, and lack of startup capital. To this end, the government and concerned bodies should provide different workshops and training for the rural households. The Konso zone should subsidize agricultural inputs for the households.
Keywords: Farm income; Food security; Propensity Score Matching; Small-scale irrigation, Household, Average treatment effect
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