Impact of the Koga Irrigation Project on the Livelihood Improvement of the Rural Community in Mecha District, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Koga is one of the large-scale irrigation projects constructed to improve agricultural
production. Therefore, the study was aimed at investigating the contribution of the Koga
irrigation project to the improvement of household livelihoods. The study used a mixed approach
to data collection. Sample households were identified using a systematic random sampling
technique. The samples were 270 and 241 for irrigation users and non-irrigation users,
respectively. Average, percentage, and frequency were used to describe the demographic and
socio-economic characteristics of the respondents. Independent t-test analyses were conducted
to see the socio-economic impact of the irrigation project. Moreover, a logit regression model
was used to identify the impact of the Koga irrigation project on the livelihood of the rural
community. Crops annual production, productivity and consumption under irrigation was
significantly (P<0.01) higher compared to rain-fed condition. Irrigation user farmers expend
significantly (P<0.05) more cost for inputs compared to non-irrigation user farmers. The total
net income generated from irrigation ranged from 36250.00-437995 ETB compared to 6550.00-
188625.00 ETB from rain-fed. The majority of the respondents confirmed the presence of crop
diversification and intensification in the project area of Koga irrigation. Generally, Propensity
Score Matching (PSM) analysis indicated that the Koga irrigation project has had an impact on
the livelihood of the rural community due to high crop productivity, diversification, and
intensification. It is concluded that the expansion of medium and large-scale irrigation projects
is necessary to enhance the livelihood of the rural community.