Researches indicate that Ethiopia has a potential of a total of arable land more than 70 million hectare in which the nation is able to exploit only 12 million hectare. The population engaged in agriculture is estimated to be 80 million. Some years back the country has introduced ‘Water Master Plan’ to be adopted and implemented for cultivating a bumper irrigation projects throughout the country.
As a result of the implementation of the plan, the construction of mega irrigation projects in different parts of the country is reaching completion. “With abundant water resource and actually referred as ‘the water tower of Africa’, the country was facing continues drought in the past. Even if the country is home to huge yearlong flowing rivers in every corners of the country, the nation has cultivated not more than 2.8 million hectares of land in the previous years.
And the following year’s irrigation national plans irrigating 3.3 million hectares [with production volume of 469 million quintal] this fiscal year”, Ministry of Agriculture, Smallholder Horticulture Development Director Dereje Yigezu said. Currently, farmers nationwide are aware of the benefits of producing market oriented fruit and vegetables as well as export oriented cash crops, he adds. According to him, the development of horticulture crops through irrigation is better than that of seed crops.
“Ethiopia has been facing adverse challenges of climate change; the recurrent drought affected its crop production and productivity.” Dereje further said that farmers across the country also witness the tangible role of the sector to improve their way of life. He also said that expanding sustainable irrigation mechanisms requires determined moves of the sector practitioners assisted with competent sector researchers, agricultural extension workers and increased stakeholders’ participation.
Promoting modern and technologically assisted irrigation farming practice should be done prioritizing a wide-range of irrigation to bring a paradigm shift in the sector in which it requires transforming and developing the pastoral states and rain shortage areas, he underlined.
Ministry Small scale Irrigation Development Expansion Directorate Director Elias Awol told this reporter that the ministry is undertaking mechanized and small scale irrigation development countrywide. The introduction of easily operational irrigation technologies is also showing a remarkable progress at the farmers’ field, he added.
“The ministry is distributing drip irrigation, furrow-irrigation, environmental co-friendly solarpowered pumping and other irrigation technologies solarpowered water pumps to the farmers countrywide. Solarpowered pumping technology is currently on pilot test in two states; Oromia and Southern Nation, Nationalities and Peoples state which sees green light of choice by the farmers.” According to Elias, the solar powered pumping technology showcases the country’s deep commitment to building climate resilient green economy. He added, “It is not practiced properly in some parts of the country due to low awareness.
The nation is transiting from a rain fed agricultural system to an irrigation reliable agricultural system following the determined demand of the farmers. The farmers have noticed a visible production and productivity increment while practicing irrigation.” He further emphasized the need to allocate huge budget to develop wide scheme irrigation infrastructure networks.
“Compared to other countries, Ethiopia with greater water potential has been gaining lower from irrigation agriculture. Researches in the area indicated that it is possible to irrigate more than 10.1 million hectares of land in Ethiopia,” he added. Finally, the experts mentioned that insecticides, immigrant weed, long market channel, lack of well trained and skilled human powers on irrigation, inadequate budget and limitations to plant new irrigation investments are the sector’s bottlenecks. While, the country’s climate, fertile land with untapped water resource and proper land and investment policies by the government as well as vast human powers and increased initiations and high demand for irrigation by the farmers as a great opportunities to widen small and large scale irrigation in the country.
Herald January 22/2019
BY TEWODROS KASSA
