1.
IWMI experiences on potential size and
Minimum of 30 font irrigated value
chains development for lines title
maximum of 3 the LIVES project
Philippe LEMPERIERE
IWMI/LIVES team
LIVES Commodity Value Chain Development Inception Workshop
Addis Ababa, 21–24 January 2013

2.
Content
1. Rationale for investing in irrigation and smallholders
2. Selection value chains and potential interventions
3. Potential interventions in irrigated value chains
4. Cross-cutting issues: environment and gender
5. Opportunities for making a difference
Conclusion

3.
1. Rationale for investing in
irrigation and smallholders in
Ethiopia

4.
Rationale for investing in irrigation
• Overpopulation in some agro-ecological zones:
more crops per unit of land and per capita.
• Climate : buffer against rainfall variability and
production of dry season cash crops.
• Land degradation : irrigation and watershed
management can reverse degradation
• Low farmer productivity: increased productivity in
conjunction with improved farming techniques and
improved VCs.
• Gender: enabling rural women to increase their
cash income and diversify family food sources.

5.
Rationale for investing in smallholders
There are many evidences that smallholder agriculture
has the potential for:
1) Increasing production to respond to market demand
through improving productivity using locally
adapted technologies
2) Reducing poverty provided commodities prices are
fair, stable
3) Sustainable natural resources management through
communities mobilization and organization.
In Ethiopia, smallholders private (traditional) irrigation
is more important than modern irrigation in terms of
developed area and number of farmers involved.

6.
2. Selection of value chains and
potential interventions

7.
Commodity value chains
Business support services
Consumption
and enabling environment
Livestock and Retailing
Irrigated
Trading
Value chains for Research
Ethiopian Processing
Govt. Policy/regulation
Smallholders
Trading Transportation
Postharvest Communications
handling
Processing
Production Market support services
- -
Input
Extension Service
Supply Financial services
Input supply

8.
Criteria for selection of irrigation VCs
1) Potential of the VC for increasing the value added,
incomes of VC actors and creating jobs in rural areas
2) Potential for significant increase of irrigated farming
productivity and of production sold on the market
3) Existence of private or public business support
services wanting to improve & develop their
activities
4) Opportunities for technologies improvement and
institutional or organizational innovations

9.
Preliminary assessment of irrigation systems
Why:
• Select irrigation systems in project areas
• Select VC (horticulture and fodder crops)
• Select and prioritize interventions
• Baseline data to measure impacts of project interventions
What to assess:
• Water availability and seasonal variations
• Irrigation infrastructures and equipments functionality
• Organizational efficiency for O&M
• Productivity of Irrigated agriculture
• Business support services
How:
• Participatory diagnosis and action planning (IWMI methodology)

10.
3. Potential interventions in
irrigated value chains

11.
Potential interventions in irrigated VCs (1)
Production
• Access to improved seeds and seedlings
• Irrigated agriculture technologies including on-farm water
management
• Crops staggering – adapt crop calendars to market demand
• Pests and diseases control
• Increase of labor productivity (farming tools and equipments)
Post harvest handling
• Better practices to respond to market demand : quality of
product: hygiene, level of impurities, storage, packaging, etc.

12.
Potential interventions in irrigated VCs (2)
Marketing
• Strengthening market groups or cooperatives
• Improve market information
• Quality control
• Contract agreements between farmers and traders: quantity,
quality, delivery date, (price ?).
• Regulations related to contract
O&M of irrigation systems – WUAs (based on existing practices)
• Tools for management of Water, maintenance and finance
• WUAs Internal rules and regulations and communication :
social management tools
• Address irrigation subsidies & cost recovery issues;
infrastructure improvement issues

13.
AWUAs Proclamation
• Public law organizations
• Mission strictly limited to O&M and non
commercial organizations
• Compulsory membership linked to land rights
• Mandatory establishment in public schemes
• Legal & financial supervision by the State
• Support of local government to enforce by-
laws, internal rules & regulations, sanctions

14.
4. cross cutting issues

15.
Social & environmental issues
Irrigation development can negatively impact downstream users
and cause environmental damages.
Conflicts between upstream and downstream water users
already exist in Ethiopia
Interventions – Watershed level
• Secure water rights:
o Information on water availability and water use in space
and time;
o Community-based organization (WUAs) at watershed level,
rules and regulations to allocate water, prevent and
mitigate conflicts.
• Site specific land rehabilitation and conservation
measures

16.
Gender equity
Specific attention should be given to women head of
households = farm decision makers with respect to:
• Access to land in irrigation schemes command area
• Access to technologies
• Access to irrigation water – water rights
• Inclusion or exclusion in forum where WUAs rules and
regulations are debated and set
• Inclusion and exclusion as WUAs leaders
Interventions
• Gender-based performance analysis (IWMI methodology)
• Designing, implementing, monitoring affirmative actions

17.
5. Opportunities for making
a difference

18.
Motorized pumps
Encouraging enterprises that combine the supply of
pumps and technical support to farmers is an
opportunity to greatly improve the use of motorized
pumps and increase farmers’ income.
How to explore:
1. Support businesses that sell pumps and offer after sales
services
2. Credit arrangement and supporting policies enabling farmers
to purchase pumps
3. Strengthen knowledge and skills of extension services
officers to provide practical guidance on the use of pumps

19.
Manual well drilling
Establishing manual well drilling enterprises to provide
low-cost access to groundwater is an opportunity for
expanding irrigated agriculture.
How to explore:
1) Set up a program to train and certified manual well drillers
and help set up businesses
2) Sector supply chains for spare parts, drilling equipment,
pumps
3) Develop financial services to support value chain
4) Raise awareness among smallholders to create demand

20.
Agro-ecology technologies
Agro-ecology technologies are an opportunity for
increasing smallholders production and income using
less expensive agro-chemicals and more locally
available resources and for protecting the
environment. (and having healthier food).
How to explore
1) Review existing agro-ecology technologies in Ethiopia and
other countries that are promising for adaptation in project
areas.
2) Test promising CA technologies
3) Training and dissemination activities
4) Monitoring

21.
Contract farming or outgrower schemes
Contract farming is an opportunity for improving
farmers’ access to market, inputs, and improved
technologies.
But Africa is replete with many examples that have
failed (trust, information asymmetries, transaction
costs).
How to explore
1) Learn lessons from experience in other countries; Kenya.
2) Assess interest of commercial farmers in project areas
3) Prepare model of contracts for negotiation
4) Monitoring contract implementation
5) Design policy recommendations for arbitration and
regulation

22.
Conclusion
We can change the face of irrigation in Ethiopia. Let’s
do it through research - action aiming at:
1) Increasing smallholders’ access to inputs and
markets
2) Promoting locally adapted improved irrigated
agriculture technologies
3) Improving extension and business support services
4) Strengthening WUAs and support services for
better irrigation productivity and sustainability
5) Securing smallholders’ water rights and sustainable
management of natural resources
6) Unleashing the potential of Ethiopian women

23.
The end
Thank you
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