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Agriculture, the back bone of Ethiopian economy, is reliant on a highly variable rainfall which renders the sector to be hampered by recurrent drought. The declining productivity in rain fed agriculture and the need to increase food production calls the need of efficient irrigation. Irrigation enhances agricultural production and thier water use efficiency can be improved the knowledge of farmers.Water use efficiency can be improved by proper irrigation scheduling which is essentially governed by crop water requirement.The study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the performance of Arefa small scale irrigation scheme in Gena Memcha Kebele, Bibugn Woreda, and East Gojjam Zone.The primary data were collected through field measurement and household survey from three farmers‟ field plots, at the upstream, middle and downstream reaches of the scheme. These include measurement of canal velocity using current meter and floating method to determine discharge and measurement of the flow depth by using Parshall flume for the farm field, taking undisturbed and disturbed soil sample to determine bulk density, texture and soil moisture in the irrigation scheme. From the total of 122 beneficiaries in the household survey, 20 beneficiaries were selected by using simple random sampling. Secondary data were also collected through literature reviews from previous researchers, Bibugn Woreda agricultural office,Gena Memcha kebele irrigation experts and household surveys.GIS software used for the map delineated for the study area and excel software packages were used for the analysis of the data. The result shows the average field application efficiency (Ea) and storage efficiency (Es) in the three field plots were 53.85% and 81.98% respectively. The average deep percolation ratio was 46.14% in the three test plots. In general,the performance of the irrigation scheme was poor at field level. The irrigators need technical support and follow particularly on water management and canal maintenance. |
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