Data collection
interventions to large infrastructure. A joint
project between the Ethiopian Bureau of
Agriculture, local extension officers, and
an NGO called Farm Africa, for example,
helped women and young people adopt
small-scale irrigation. This was part of an
initiative to increase their incomes and
improve their nutrition.
Overall, the project reached almost
6 400 women and landless people and
also benefitted 700 farming families.
Another major area of development
is the collection of data. This is an
invaluable asset that allows for
careful monitoring and management of
resources such as water, especially in
times of drought.
In 2013, Ethiopia’s Agricultural
Transformation Agency began mapping
more than 32 400km² to identify water
resources,
particularly
shallow
groundwater with the potential for
irrigation development.
The final results of this mapping in
89 districts reveals almost three billion
cubic metres of water at a depth of less
than 30m. This allows about 100 000
hectares of land to be brought under
irrigation, benefiting 376 000 families.
Finally, Ethiopia has harnessed the value
of a full range of irrigation technologies.
These have ranged from small-scale
A total of 50 000 hectares of land was prepared for the Irrigated Agriculture programme implemented in Afar, Somali, Gambella, Amhara,
Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNP) and Tigray regional state.
16
Water Sewage & Effluent May/June 2019
www.waterafrica.co.za