Agronomy Study on Small Scale Irrigation Project

Irrigation development plays an essential role in stabilizing crop production by either supplementing or replacing the need for natural precipitation. Irrigation makes agriculture more confidential. It stabilizes crop production by protecting against drought and by increasing crop yields, increases their income and crops that improve their diet. The field study consists of agricultural surveys, focus group discussion, individual meeting and interviews with farmers, experts from zonal, and woreda office of agriculture. The scope of this volume includes the general presentation of existing crop production situation and strategic attempt to promote agricultural production that would be acceptable by farmers. The methodology used in this development study was aimed at plainly defining and describing the agronomic situation of the area and out lining the major crop production constraints and developing recommendation for implementation. Primary and secondary data were collected from the Kebele development agents, farmers and Wareda agricultural and development office using checklists through group discussion and key informant interview on crop production, cropping pattern, farming practice and production constraints. Four soil profiles were dug to a possible soil depth at representative sites in the command area and samples were collected at two different depths to catch different root depths of various crops. Physical and chemical properties of the soil (PH, texture, EC, OC and OM) were analyzed. Crop water requirements of crops are computed using crop wat 4 windows model. In general, as a conclusion the agro-climatic condition of the project site, the suitability of the soil for crop production, physical feature of the command area and the availability of irrigation water are suitable for development of irrigation. Despite the above facts, the sustainability of the project is very much dependent on the full participation of the beneficiaries in all aspects of the project implementation. The participatory approach will create a sense of responsibility and ownership and greatly contributes to the success of the irrigation schemes constructed in previous years. The objectives of the project will only achievable when: The beneficiaries are encouraged to organize themselves for operation, input provision and marketing of products, Provision of credit for inputs and other needs is on time, The extension service is effectively established and Periodical training is provided to both extension field staff and beneficiary farmers. The cropping pattern proposed for the scheme is based on the current knowledge of the beneficiaries and as such does not pose any problem of adoption. However, the production of vegetables and other cash crops is, for most part, dictated by the prevailing market demands. Planning of vegetable crop production, therefore, requires adequate market information to be parted to the farmers. Moreover, continuous adaptive research in vegetables and other cash crops need to be supported by regional research institutions.INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH (International Peer Reviewed, Open Access Journal ) ISSN: 2321-993