This study was conducted to identify the different typologies in irrigated agriculture in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia to enable precise technological intervention. We applied principal component analysis (PCA) followed by Cluster Analysis on data collected from 321 farm households to establish the typologies. Results of the PCA showed that the factors that affected adoption of agricultural technologies were farming experience, level of education, family size, social capital, farm size, off-farm activities, distance to market, ownership of assets, and access to extension services. Cluster analysis identified six types of farms: Type 1 households were resource endowed and mainly crop production based (6.2%); Type 2 was comprised of older and less educated households (18.7%); Type 3 included young and less resourced farmers (36.1%); Type 4 were livestock-based households (8.4%); Type 5, off-farm income based (8.4%) and Type 6 experienced and extension privy farmers (22.1%). Resource endowed farmers adopted pesticides and fertilizer, older less educated farmers adopted fertilizers, young poor farmers adopted improved crop varieties, off-farm based households used fertilizer, crop residue and mulching, while farmers with more extension access adopted soil and water conservation practices, integrated water management practices, mulching, and crop residue managment. Thus technology-adoption related policy measures should emphasize the heterogeneity existing among farmers.

Keywords: farm typology, technology adoption, smallholder irrigation, Ethiopia