Conveyance and Drainage System in Spate Irrigation -A case of Boro Dodota Spate Irrigation-
摘要
Total area of Oromia State of Ethiopia is 36 million ha, out of which 1.7 million ha the potential area for surface irrigation, while only 0.2 million ha had been developed. Previously, the irrigation development was mainly focusing on diversion from perennial river flow. However, it is required to promote agricultural development utilizing seasonal wadi floods for supplemental irrigation (called spate irrigation) in regions where rainfall is insufficient for crop production. The Boro Dodota spate irrigation project is the first case of the modern medium scale spate irrigation in the State initiated in 2004 having 5,000 ha of the command area. The current report discusses contexts, constraint, and prospects of the project, in particular focusing on designing and function of the system. Currently assessment conducted by the Irrigation Farming Improvement (IFI) indicates that the project had positive impact on crop production, while several challenges remained concerning conveyance and drainage. The results obtained in the current study indicate that establishment of the silt elimination and the drainage system is strongly recommended to enhance the benefit of the project.