Small-scale irrigation emerging as transformative force across lowlands: MILLs

Addis Ababa, October 30, 2023 (FBC) – Small-Scale Irrigation (SSI) schemes being implemented in Ethiopia are positively impacting the lives and incomes of the pastoralists and semi-pastoralists who employ small water pumps to enhance their crop yields, Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands disclosed.

The Ministry stated that Small-Scale Irrigation endeavors are primarily led by smallholder farmers themselves, offering a significant opportunity.

In particular, the ministry said SSI is not only positively impacting the lives and incomes of the pastoralists and semi-pastoralists who employ small water pumps to enhance their crop yields but is also proving instrumental in ensuring food security in regions susceptible to recurrent and severe droughts.

As a result, it is believed that, compared to large-scale irrigation undertakings, SSI can more swiftly contribute to achieving national developmental objective, it added.

Ethiopia, in particular, exhibits substantial potential for expanding SSI and has made substantial investments in this sector in recent years, according to the Ministry.

It’s worth recalling that during the previous fiscal year, the Ministry of Irrigation and Lowlands, in collaboration with both federal and regional governments, has played a pivotal role in facilitating the distribution of irrigation technologies, distributing a total of 54,515 water pumps, according to ENA.