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Philippe LEMPERIERE

IWMI/LIVES team

LIVES Commodity Value Chain Development Inception Workshop

Addis Ababa, 21–24 January 2013

IWMI experiences on potential irrigated value chains development for the LIVES project

Content1. Rationale for investing in irrigation and smallholders

2. Selection value chains and potential interventions

3. Potential interventions in irrigated value chains

4. Cross-cutting issues: environment and gender

5. Opportunities for making a difference

Conclusion

1. Rationale for investing in irrigation and smallholders in Ethiopia

Rationale for investing in irrigation• Overpopulation in some agro-ecological zones:

more crops per unit of land and per capita.• Climate : buffer against rainfall variability and

production of dry season cash crops.• Land degradation : irrigation and watershed

management can reverse degradation• Low farmer productivity: increased productivity in

conjunction with improved farming techniques and improved VCs.

• Gender: enabling rural women to increase their cash income and diversify family food sources.

Rationale for investing in smallholdersThere are many evidences that smallholder agriculture has the potential for:1) Increasing production to respond to market demand

through improving productivity using locally adapted technologies

2) Reducing poverty provided commodities prices are fair, stable

3) Sustainable natural resources management through communities mobilization and organization.

In Ethiopia, smallholders private (traditional) irrigation is more important than modern irrigation in terms of developed area and number of farmers involved.

2. Selection of value chains and potential interventions

Production

Postharvesthandling

Retailing

Consumption

Trading

- -

Market support services Market support services

Financial servicesFinancial services

TransportationTransportation

CommunicationsCommunications

Govt. Policy/regulationGovt. Policy/regulation

Extension Service Extension Service

Input supplyInput supply

Business support services and enabling environment

ResearchResearch

Commodity value chains

Trading

Input Supply

Processing Processing

Processing

Livestock andIrrigatedValue chains forEthiopianSmallholders

Criteria for selection of irrigation VCs1) Potential of the VC for increasing the value added,

incomes of VC actors and creating jobs in rural areas

2) Potential for significant increase of irrigated farming productivity and of production sold on the market

3) Existence of private or public business support services wanting to improve & develop their activities

4) Opportunities for technologies improvement and institutional or organizational innovations

Preliminary assessment of irrigation systemsWhy:• Select irrigation systems in project areas• Select VC (horticulture and fodder crops)• Select and prioritize interventions• Baseline data to measure impacts of project interventionsWhat to assess:• Water availability and seasonal variations• Irrigation infrastructures and equipments functionality• Organizational efficiency for O&M• Productivity of Irrigated agriculture• Business support servicesHow:• Participatory diagnosis and action planning (IWMI methodology)

3. Potential interventions in irrigated value chains

Potential interventions in irrigated VCs (1)

Production• Access to improved seeds and seedlings• Irrigated agriculture technologies including on-farm water

management• Crops staggering – adapt crop calendars to market demand• Pests and diseases control• Increase of labor productivity (farming tools and equipments)

Post harvest handling• Better practices to respond to market demand : quality of

product: hygiene, level of impurities, storage, packaging, etc.

Marketing• Strengthening market groups or cooperatives• Improve market information• Quality control• Contract agreements between farmers and traders: quantity,

quality, delivery date, (price ?).• Regulations related to contract

O&M of irrigation systems – WUAs (based on existing practices)• Tools for management of Water, maintenance and finance• WUAs Internal rules and regulations and communication :

social management tools• Address irrigation subsidies & cost recovery issues;

infrastructure improvement issues

Potential interventions in irrigated VCs (2)

AWUAs Proclamation• Public law organizations• Mission strictly limited to O&M and non

commercial organizations• Compulsory membership linked to land rights• Mandatory establishment in public schemes• Legal & financial supervision by the State• Support of local government to enforce by-

laws, internal rules & regulations, sanctions

4. cross cutting issues

Social & environmental issuesIrrigation development can negatively impact downstream users and cause environmental damages.Conflicts between upstream and downstream water users already exist in Ethiopia

Interventions – Watershed level• Secure water rights:

o Information on water availability and water use in space and time;

o Community-based organization (WUAs) at watershed level, rules and regulations to allocate water, prevent and mitigate conflicts.

• Site specific land rehabilitation and conservation measures

Gender equity

Specific attention should be given to women head of households = farm decision makers with respect to:• Access to land in irrigation schemes command area• Access to technologies• Access to irrigation water – water rights• Inclusion or exclusion in forum where WUAs rules and

regulations are debated and set• Inclusion and exclusion as WUAs leaders

Interventions• Gender-based performance analysis (IWMI methodology)• Designing, implementing, monitoring affirmative actions

5. Opportunities for making a difference

Motorized pumps

Encouraging enterprises that combine the supply of pumps and technical support to farmers is an opportunity to greatly improve the use of motorized pumps and increase farmers’ income.

How to explore:1. Support businesses that sell pumps and offer after sales

services2. Credit arrangement and supporting policies enabling farmers

to purchase pumps3. Strengthen knowledge and skills of extension services

officers to provide practical guidance on the use of pumps

Manual well drilling

Establishing manual well drilling enterprises to provide low-cost access to groundwater is an opportunity for expanding irrigated agriculture.

How to explore:1) Set up a program to train and certified manual well drillers

and help set up businesses2) Sector supply chains for spare parts, drilling equipment,

pumps3) Develop financial services to support value chain4) Raise awareness among smallholders to create demand

Agro-ecology technologies Agro-ecology technologies are an opportunity for increasing smallholders production and income using less expensive agro-chemicals and more locally available resources and for protecting the environment. (and having healthier food).How to explore1) Review existing agro-ecology technologies in Ethiopia and

other countries that are promising for adaptation in project areas.

2) Test promising CA technologies3) Training and dissemination activities4) Monitoring

Contract farming or outgrower schemes Contract farming is an opportunity for improving farmers’ access to market, inputs, and improved technologies.But Africa is replete with many examples that have failed (trust, information asymmetries, transaction costs).How to explore1) Learn lessons from experience in other countries; Kenya.2) Assess interest of commercial farmers in project areas3) Prepare model of contracts for negotiation4) Monitoring contract implementation5) Design policy recommendations for arbitration and

regulation

ConclusionWe can change the face of irrigation in Ethiopia. Let’s do it through research - action aiming at:1) Increasing smallholders’ access to inputs and

markets2) Promoting locally adapted improved irrigated

agriculture technologies3) Improving extension and business support services4) Strengthening WUAs and support services for better

irrigation productivity and sustainability5) Securing smallholders’ water rights and sustainable

management of natural resources6) Unleashing the potential of Ethiopian women

The end

Thank you

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