Abstract:
The rational utilization of irrigation water is a fundamental aspect for achieving sustainable
agriculture for food security and poverty alleviation. To achieve the objective of sustainable
agriculture many factors are involved, and irrigation water delivery is one of the most important.
Consequently, its evaluation as well as the search for feasible solutions to problems detected
during the evaluation could be of special interest. This study analyzed the water management
performance of small-scale irrigation system in Bako-Tibe. International Institute for Land
Reclamation and Improvement / International Water Management Institute (ILRI/IWMI) water
balance and maintenance indicators used to test Yayo-Baka irrigation scheme as a base for the
performance evaluation. Necessary data were collected from Oromia Water Works Design and
Supervision Enterprise (OWWDSE) the company that made the feasibility study and the design
of the system and from Bako-Tibe Meteorological Station. In the field, certain parameters
including: type of crop, irrigation water discharge in channel, and field size were measured
and/or observed before, during and after an irrigation event while farmers were conducting their
normal irrigation practice. Survey related to water availability also conducted among the
farmers. Finally, crop pattern of the study area was organized in CROPWAT 8.0 model along
with necessary data such as climate, soil, and crop, cropping pattern. The results showed that
the source is delivering 40.15 L/s while the water requirement is 385.6 L/s. The delivery is only
10.41% of the water requirement. The insufficiency of irrigation water, the type of irrigation
system in use, the poor maintenance of irrigation structures and the farmer’s unawareness of
irrigation practices were the main problems identified in the management and operations of the
scheme. Some corrective measures have been recommended to improve the system.
