Federal democratic republic of ethiopia ministry of agriculture


Sub-component 3.1: Small-scale Irrigation Infrastructure Development and Improvement



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Sub-component 3.1: Small-scale Irrigation Infrastructure Development and Improvement

Improving water situation of a country is of paramount importance if economic growth in a country is to be sustained. Therefore, improved water resources control is expected to play a fundamental and multifaceted role in the process of economic transformation of Ethiopia. However, the huge water potential in the country for irrigated agriculture lays largely unexploited due to lack of investments in irrigation infrastructures.


Therefore, the main objective of this subcomponent is to increase area of irrigated land for smallholder farmers by developing SSI infrastructures to improve the security of (availability of and access to) irrigation water. This could be realized by rehabilitating, improving and upgrading the existing irrigation systems, and establishing new smallholder irrigation systems (SHIS) as well as household irrigation systems from surface and ground water sources.
Under this sub-component the following key activities are envisaged: Rehabilitation9, expansion/extension10, upgrading11 and/or improvement12 of existing SSI systems; Establishment of new SSI systems; Establishment of new micro-irrigation and household irrigation systems (MHIS); Design and construction of access road for irrigation schemes; Capacity Development (Physical and human).
At national level, the Natural Resources Sector will coordinate and oversight the overall planning and implementation processes of the component activities. The component will be mainly implemented by regional BOWR/IDA and their respective woreda offices. Design and construction works will be outsourced to the private sector.




1.1.16Rehabilitation and/or Improvement of Existing SSI Systems


The potential for the production of crops products on existing irrigation programs in many of the developing countries of the world including Ethiopia appears enormous, because irrigation has been enhanced in the past few decades. It is, however, common to find that the performance of the great majority of these programs fall far short of expectations and potential. Most of the existing SSI systems are underperforming both in cropping intensity and productivity parameters. Canal structures and other farm-level infrastructures are often left incomplete. Many studies reported that in operation, most SSI systems have water use efficiencies of less than 40 per cent; brought under effective command area much less land than has been planned. Cropping intensities on land which is irrigated usually fall far short of program. Water deliveries to farmers are often unreliable. The supply of water is frequently very inequitable, with those at the top end receiving more than their fair share, and those at the tail end receiving supplies which are small, uncertain and untimely, if indeed they receive any water at all. In consequence of these and other shortcomings, the productivity of crops resulting from irrigation facilities almost invariably lags far behind the targets set and what is technically feasible.
Major bottlenecks/constraints that hinder implementation speed in this regard during AGP phase I are (i) absence of scheme data base for re-planning; (ii) absence of standard rehabilitation approach and guidelines; (iii) weak institutional capacity at zonal and woreda levels; and (iv) inadequate attention to rehabilitation and upgrading interventions, i.e., excessive focus on new construction.
Therefore, the improvement of irrigation services in existing systems is a problem that needs to be addressed through a combination of both “hardware” and “software” solutions. The hardware development involves improving/rehabilitating existing water structures (off-farm13 and on-farm) to improve reliability of supply as well as developing groundwater to augment lean season water supply. Rehabilitating, improving and/or upgrading the physical infrastructure is often one of the main pathways to improving the performance of irrigation systems.
The needs for rehabilitation, improving and/or upgrading the physical infrastructure may have arisen as a result of numbers of root causes, all of which have resulted in a failure to invest sufficiently in maintenance of the irrigation systems. The returns to rehabilitation and modernization can be immediate and significant, though it is important to note that these benefits can often be short-lived if associated institutional measures, such as improved management, operation and maintenance procedures, including service fee recovery, are not also put in place to complement the physical improvements.
It is important therefore that the rehabilitation and modernization process is properly monitored and evaluated. Therefore, the intervention of “software” solutions is critical and requires the development of more efficient mechanism for delivery and management of irrigation system up to the field level through a clear delineation of responsibilities between the regional government, in charge of infrastructure development, and the Irrigation Water Users Associations (IWUAs), in charge of delivering irrigation services to farmers.
This intervention also supports the preparation of guidelines/procedures for revitalizing and rehabilitation of small-scale irrigation systems which are no longer performing well due to a combination of infrastructural, social-economic, institutional and governance problems, among others.
Hence, the objective of this intervention is to make existing SSI fully functional to its design capacity and/or beyond through rehabilitating, improving and/or extension of existing irrigation infrastructure and keeping the operable infrastructure functional. In this intervention, non-functional or partially functional modern SSI systems will be rehabilitated and/or improved and operational, and traditional smallholder irrigation systems will be upgraded/improved and operational.
Under this activity 50 existing small-scale irrigation systems with command area of 10,000ha will be rehabilitated, upgraded and/or improved. The AGP II will finance the rehabilitation and improvement of head works, conveyance systems, on-farm irrigation structures, water application methods and others to provide the higher standard of water control necessary to improve yields and increase cropping intensity. All these interventions will help the irrigators at least to regain the original designed capacity of the systems and in some cases some more command area than the original designed capacity due to improved conveyance efficiency, improved application efficiency and additional irrigation infrastructures.
The following activities are envisaged:


  1. Developing SSI rehabilitation and revitalization guidelines: The rehabilitation work should be led by standards and guidelines. The guidelines/procedures are based on the understanding that an irrigation scheme consists of four mutually interlinked systems: the physical system, the cropping system, the economic system and the social-organizational system. It combines both hardware and software rehabilitation processes to lead to a comprehensive revitalization of an irrigation scheme. Therefore, issues related with technical, social, environment and economic aspects will be included in the guideline. This guideline developed by professional at federal level or recruiting consultants and validated by relevant stakeholders which will be shared to all implementing partners/stakeholders.

  2. Inventory of existing SSI subprograms: Inventory of existing SSI subprograms for rehabilitation and/or improvement including operation and management will help to identify the schemes with problems that are functioning under capacity and don’t serve the planned beneficiaries as per the design. This inventory work will be conducted by regional experts in collaboration with woreda experts or by recruiting consultants.

  3. Conduct diagnosis of the existing schemes and design the rehabilitation/improvement of schemes: Based on the inventory result and extent of the problems, prioritized implementation plan will be prepared considering the impact of the rehabilitation and feasibility of implementation of the rehabilitation. The bio-physical and socio-economic conditions of the existing SSI systems will be thoroughly evaluated, redesigned and planned as per the actual need. This work will be done by regional and woreda experts with the support from national FCU. Consultants would also be involved in case of complex rehabilitation work.

  4. Rehabilitation and/or improvement including expansion/extension of existing modern SSI systems- The AGP II will assist the reconstruction of damaged/non-functional head works, conveyance systems, and/or on-farm infrastructures; repair/maintenance of partially functional leaking headwork, conveyance systems, and/or on-farm infrastructures; improvement of canals through lining or changing in to closed canal systems; construction of additional canals/structures for expansion of command areas; improvement of water distribution structures at the field level such as additional off-takes, crossing structures, etc.; and changing the current water application methods to more efficient one such as surface irrigation systems into sprinkler and/or drip irrigation systems (water saving technologies). Based on the complexity and requirements the rehabilitation work for a specific scheme will be managed either by woreda, or region with close support from federal.

  5. Upgrading and/or improvement of existing traditional SS irrigation systems: This would be done through replacing temporary diversion structures with permanent ones; improving canal alignment and lining with masonry to improve conveyance efficiency; construction of on-farm irrigation structures such as off-takes, and crossing structures; etc. Woreda and regional experts will take the responsibility for the execution of this activity with close support from the federal.

1.1.17Micro14Irrigation and Household15 Irrigation Systems

Micro and Household Irrigation Systems (MHIS) comprise the full set of simple technologies that set up farmers for irrigation at the group or household level. MHIS are constructed in locations where larger forms of small-scale irrigation water supply systems (diversions, lifting, and storage) cannot be feasible and constructed due to technical factors such as water availability, topographic unsuitability, etc. MHIS have some advantages in common.




  • Box: Common Advantages of MHIS


    • Are usually found close to the point-of-use (mostly a few meters distance or only a well’s depth away if shallow ground water development)

    • Can be scaled up and developed quickly at low capital cost by individual smallholder farmers investment as almost all the investments in the MHIS would come mostly from smallholder farmers through credit service schemes

    • Mostly use local labor and materials for construction and simple technologies to operate and manage

    • Create an opportunity for more farmers (addresses the issue of equity) to benefit from the irrigation investment

    • Most accessible to smallholder farmers, in particular for vegetable and cash crop production, and is rapidly expanding


The main objective of this intervention is to increase smallholders irrigated area by promoting and establishing micro- and household irrigation systems (MHIS). Small stream diversions, ponds, hand-dug shallow wells, tube shallow wells, engine and manual pumps, check dams, and springs, water harvesting and micro-irrigation technologies/structures planned for the implementation of MHIS are envisaged in AGP II. The construction of micro-irrigation and household irrigation structures is principally designed to provide water for crop production as supplementary or full irrigation; but could also be used for domestic and/or livestock water supply.


As such programs are supposed to be independently managed by a household or smallholder farmer groups. In this case public efforts to promote household irrigation will necessarily rely on interventions on a systemic level to facilitate smallholders’ independent access points to irrigation at the household level. The benefits of MHIS are clear and measurable in terms of productivity, household income, production diversification and increasing the availability of varied household diets.. Therefore, the positive impact of MHIS both at the household and community levels is considerable. Under the support of this activity, it has been envisaged to equip 25,000 ha of land with micro- and household irrigation systems.

To support household irrigation technologies, AGP will promote the use of robust and demand–driven interventions, including:




  1. Water Resource Identification for SSI Development: Identification of potential water resources for MHIS will remove a key obstacle to the adoption of micro and household irrigation. Not only will it help planners and policymakers set a national strategy, focusing irrigation interventions only where they make sense, it will help woreda-level officials justify the wisdom of investment in irrigation-supporting infrastructure. Specifically, defining the shallow groundwater potential will help smallholder farmers to predict the likely success of drilling wells before that costly investment is undertaken, guiding them as to the depth of the wells and the chance of success. Knowledge on the nature of springs (perennial or seasonal) will help to design the appropriate MHIS types such as full or supplementary irrigation. Defining technically feasible rainwater harvesting techniques would allow SHFs to have access to water for MHIS. MHI activities are mainly implemented by woredas with close support of Federal agencies specifically on problem solving and resource identification.

  2. Development of small stream diversions and springs: Streams with minimum flow and with seasonal behaviors can be used for MHIS development. This is possible using different techniques like diverting the stream using local materials or storing for later use. This type of diversion perhaps doesn’t require complex engineering design and hence can be done using the skill of woreda experts or smallholder farmers. AGP II would assist in availing technical equipment, hand tools, and training of experts. In addition, springs would be developed to be used for MHIS. The development of springs with minimum flow and seasonal by their nature would be coupled with storage technologies and used during the actual MHI time. Springs with relatively higher flow and perennial in their nature, they will be diverted using gravity system or pumped to the command area. The implementation reasonability of this activity will lie mainly on woreda experts however regions would provide technical support while AGP II will assist in the development of skill and provision of technical equipment and hand tools.

  3. Development of shallow groundwater (<30m): A mapping of shallow groundwater at the national level will be critical to the success for the promotion of the MHIS and developing shallow groundwater. It will also help to guide stakeholders’ decision-making in this arena, and ensuring resources are invested wisely and well. A range of technologies exist for this function; on a coordinated national level. Once the mapping exercise is completed, the development of shallow groundwater will commence for MHIS. However, the ground water mapping exercise could not be completed within the envisaged program; and hence could not be planned in AGP II. Therefore, this exercise could be carried out only for limited program areas by federal or regional implementers. The development of ground water includes shallow hand dug wells and shallow tube wells and will be carried out based on available data. The implementation of this activity will be led by woreda with technical support from the regions.

  4. Promotion of Water-harvesting technologies: Water-harvesting technologies will be promoted to catch and store water from various sources (rainwater, surface and/or ground water). Storage of harvested water can occur in soils by diverting flood water to the farmlands, small tanks if water supply is regular (e.g., groundwater pumping), or large, underwater tanks for longer periods of time (as common with rainwater). Plastic sheeting and other lining methods will be used to line tanks and reduce seepage. This intervention includes the introduction and construction of different ponds, surface and sub-surface water tanks, and ground water recharge structures (percolation tanks)… etc.

  5. Promotion of low cost water-lifting technologies: These include different types of irrigation pumps such as portable diesel/petrol and electric irrigation pumps, manual pumps, and other water lifting mechanisms (like pulleys), and can tap into surface water or groundwater made accessible by a shallow tube and hand dug wells. In particular, the small low-lift motorized pumps driven by small petrol or diesel engines with a capacity of 1.5 to 5 HP and a typical discharge of 2–15 l/s irrigating 1-5 ha will be promoted. During AGP II period effort will be made to implement the recommendation of pump supply chain study conducted during AGP I so that the SHFs will have pumps that is distributed through efficient channel and have access to after sales services. Since pump standard is developed during AGP I, irrigation pump manufacturing and importation will be guided based on this standard.

  6. Promotion of low cost drilling technologies: Low cost drilling techniques have had a huge impact on the availability of water both for drinking and irrigation in few areas of the country. There are several potentially suitable low-cost and sustainable drilling solutions for smallholder private irrigation; the choice of the technique depends on the intended application and on environmental and hydro-geological conditions. Manual auger and wash-bore drilling techniques are commonly used in areas where the soil is soft, whereas percussion and sludging techniques are more suitable for harder soil. The program will also look for other low cost drilling techniques and promote for their implementation. Therefore, the AGP II will support the promotion of low cost drilling technologies which include different types of drilling equipment such as portable manual and motorized drilling technologies/techniques. AGP II will also assist the promotion of these technologies/techniques through demonstration and designs a scaling up strategy.

  7. Promotion of water-saving technologies: Water-saving technologies will enable frequent application of small amounts of water to crops’ root zone. They include drip, micro sprinkler, bubbler, mulching with plastic sheets and/or micro jet irrigation systems. In addition to reducing water use, these systems can preserve soil conditions, increase productivity per unit use of land and water and improve product quality.

Where appropriate, demonstrations in drilling, storage, lifting, water application technologies (through manual flexible hoses, drip, or sprinklers) will be provided in subprogram areas, and the program will facilitate the procurement and installation of these irrigation equipment, as requested by households within the subprogram command area. While the beneficiaries themselves are expected to make maximum contributions towards these activities, the AGP phase II will finance demonstration of technologies, purchases of industrial materials required to build water storage, water lifting units, conveyance facilities, and irrigation water application equipment, as well as skilled labor, and will provide start-up spare parts and hand tools that are important for operation and management (O&M).
In addition, the AGP II will have a critical role to support in creating an enabling environment for technology development and uptake for Micro & Household Irrigation Technologies (MHITs). The program would support to develop policies and regulations that influence irrigation equipment manufacture, importation, promotion and servicing. AGP II will also focus on technical support (through training and awareness creation programs) to private and public sector institutions to promote domestic manufacturing of these technologies. It will also assist in testing and demonstrating equipment at universities, research and demonstration centers.
Except some interventions, the planning and implementation of MHIS will be decentralized to woredas. The decentralization of decision making to woredas worked effectively under AGP (AGP I). The subprograms identified will be in accordance with the woreda development plans and with the actual needs of the local people. Mechanisms will be in place for local community involvement and representations such as establishment of Irrigation Water User Associations who actively involved in program identification and selection, design and establishment/construction. Due to experience gained in AGP I, currently, woredas are in a position at least to identify their needs and program sites. Therefore, this good practice will be strengthened in AGP II.

1.1.18Establishment of New16 Small-scale Irrigation Systems

This intervention seeks to increase irrigated agriculture by establishing new smallholder irrigation systems (with command area greater than or equal to 20ha) from surface and groundwater water sources and improving and encouraging the use of agricultural water management practices that improve the return to irrigation infrastructure investments. The main objective of this intervention is to expand area of irrigated agriculture for smallholder farmers by establishing new SSI systems (with command area greater than or equal to 20ha) to enhance SHFs production and productivity.


Under this intervention it is planned to design and construct 125 new SSI subprograms with irrigation command area of 20,000ha of land. Design documents will be prepared, reviewed, certified and awarded to various local contractors for construction. The following activities are envisaged:

  1. Conduct surface water availability assessment to identify indicative irrigation development potential which clearly indicates the SSI potential of each woreda;

  2. Preparation of design and construction quality assurance and control guidelines;

  3. Establishment of new gravity diversion SSI systems from surface water sources;

  4. Pump irrigation from surface water sources;

  5. Establishment of new pump irrigation systems from ground water sources (depth less than or equal to 100m); and

  6. Establishment of small dams (dam height less than 15m) of gravity SSI systems.

Access roads will be built, where needed, for the construction and efficient operation of irrigation systems. Most newly developed larger SSI systems or clustered MHI systems will require the construction of access roads, which will be conforming to the URAP standard for the larger systems. In areas where rehabilitation/extension of the irrigation systems will be undertaken, only minor improvement of the existing access roads will be done.


1.1.19Capacity Development

The details of this intervention will be worked out based on needs assessment result done at the beginning of the Program period. The intervention includes the following activities:




  1. Physical Capacity Development

Shortage of office and field survey and design equipment and other facilities including shortage of vehicles greatly hamper planning and implementation of SSI subprograms. Therefore, the AGP II will finance the procurement of these facilities. The intervention will provide support for the strengthening of regional, zonal and woreda offices (Bureau of Water Resources/Irrigation Development Authority).

The expected out puts of the intervention are enhanced planning, design and construction management capacity enhanced and mobility improved. The intervention will include to


  • Purchase and provide Office facilities and field equipment;

  • Purchase and provide four wheel vehicles;

  • Purchase and provide technical books;

  • Prepare, print and distribute technical training materials on irrigation design and management;




  1. Human Resources Capacity Development

Though the country has had considerable experience in the planning, design, construction and operation of irrigation systems and has built up a cadre of technical staffs; as compared to current need, there are very few engineers working on SSI development both at federal, regional levels; while many of them do not have the required knowledge and skill to perform design and construction management as per the standard. Therefore, training will be useful at all levels including the smallholder farmers in broadening the irrigation sub-sector's capabilities in planning, design and construction management, in introducing new ideas from other countries, in codifying existing procedures and in upgrading the standard of operation and maintenance for SSI systems. In addition, the program will support review meetings, short term training programs to raise the knowledge and skill of technicians at all levels specialized in SSI development. It will also include support to short-term overseas study tours on the planning, design, construction management, and management of irrigation systems for federal and regional experts.


In addition, it is familiar that technical assistance will be useful at all levels in broadening the irrigation sub-sector's capabilities in planning, design and construction management. Thus the program will support technical assistance to improve the implementation capacity of implementing agencies at all levels specialized in SSI development. The technical assistance intervention will include engagement of national technical assistants, who will assist implementing agencies at all levels in the planning, engineering design, procurement, construction management and technical monitoring of SSI irrigation systems. This intervention will support:

  • Conducting training need assessment;

  • Training of federal, regional and woreda level staff in Reconnaissance, Feasibility Study and Detail Design, Construction Management/Contract Administration, etc;

  • Practical training and experience sharing tours to experts and farmers;

  • Training of consultants and contractors on procurement, contract management and design work;

  • Technical Assistance


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