Abstract

This study was conducted at Arba Minch Zuria Woreda. The area lacks in-depth studies to identify the determinant factors that influence the use of irrigation water.  In the study area it is also not well known to what extent the households using irrigation water were better-off than those who depend on rain-fed agriculture. Therefore, the study was focused on assessing the determinants of small-scale irrigation practice and its contribution on household farm income. The total population in the selected three villages stratified in to two strata (irrigation user and non-user). Then systematic sampling method was employed to select the respondents’ household from the population frames of two strata. The descriptive statistics and the binary logistic regression analysis were used for analyzing quantitative data. The results show that sex of respondents’; household size engaged in the agricultural labor force and number of contact of respondents with agricultural development agents per month had significant positive effect on the use of irrigation water at 1% significance level. While education level and attendance on irrigation related training had significant positive effect on the use of irrigation water at 10% significance level. On the other hand, farm distance from the river and the main irrigation canal had significant negative effect on the use of irrigation water at 1% significance level. Out of the total Irrigation user respondents’ household (98.2) have harvested perennial crops more than two times and grown annual crops two times per year from the same farm. While out of the total irrigation non-user respondents’ household depended on only rain fed agriculture (90.7%) have grown annual crops only one time per year from the same farm. Consequently, the independent sample test result showed that the irrigation user respondents’ household obtained significantly larger mean annual gross farm income than irrigation non-user respondents’ household at 1% significance level.

Key Words: Irrigation, income, t-test and logistic.