Influence of Farmer Capacity Building in Institutional Linkages on Performance of Smallholder Irrigation Projects in Migori County, Kenya

The study examined influence of farmer capacity building in financial resource mobilization on performance of smallholder irrigation projects in Migori County, Kenya. The study adopted pragmatism as its philosophy, and used cross sectional and correlation research design. The target population was 2,815, and comprised farmers from fifteen smallholder irrigation projects that receive water from River Kuja through Lower Kuja Project. The sample size was 341 farmers. The study used systematic random sampling to draw the sample, used questionnaire to collect data, and analyzed data using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that farmer capacity building in financial resource mobilization has a significant influence on performance of smallholder irrigation projects (r = 801, R2 = 0.641, F (5, 331) = 118.405, 0.000 < p < 0.05). Therefore, the study concluded that financial resource mobilization is a critical factor in performance of smallholder irrigation projects in Migori County. Consequently, the study recommends that Migori County Government educate farmers in smallholder irrigation projects on loan facilities by financial institutions. Further, the study recommends that Migori County develop a framework to assist farmers in smallholder irrigation projects to qualify for loans facilities operated by financial institutions.

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Capacity Building in Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation on Sustainability of Food Security Irrigation Projects

Journal of Engineering Project and Production Management ◽

10.2478/jeppm-2020-0012 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 94-102

Author(s):

O. Rogito ◽

T. Maitho ◽

A. Nderitu

Keyword(s):

Capacity Building ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Human Beings ◽

Participatory Monitoring ◽

Irrigation Projects ◽

Health Related ◽

Project Sustainability ◽

Main Food Source ◽

Descriptive Survey

Abstracthealth-related problems and even death among animals and human beings. Agriculture is the main food source; thus, many interventions are made such as that of irrigation by the local county and national government initiated through the National Irrigation Board (NIB). Despite the irrigation projects food insufficiency still persists, therefore their sustainability is questionable. One such approach to improving the sustainability of irrigation projects is participatory monitoring and evaluation which leads to ownership and then higher sustainability. In the study, the objective was to asses if taking corrective action after participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) influence project sustainability. The study used a descriptive survey and correlation designs to collect data from 316 respondents selected using stratification sand purposeful with strict randomization. Questionnaires were administered and interviews were conducted on selected sample respondents on appointed dates. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 to get descriptive statistics, correlations coefficients were obtained to test association and degree of strength. Testing of the hypothesis was done using linear regression. The study findings were that a large number of respondents were between ages 31 to 40 years and most were female with their highest level of education being primary school. The influence of PME capacity building on the dependent variable and irrigation projects sustainability found that the farmers were not taken for exposure visits and project officers were not accountable for money use. Age, gender, and education level have very minimal influence on PME capacity building. PME capacity building had a weak positive influence of r = 0.290 and it explained only 8.4% of irrigation projects sustainability in Kitui County. The study recommends that to improve project capacity building: project revenue must be controlled on use, farmers must be taken for exposure visits to learn from successors, project officers should be accountable for funds use, and project guidelines should be improved to increase sustainability. Implementation of these recommendations will reduce the loss of Arid and Semi-Srid Lands (ASALs) and attain higher and longer sustainability in food projects, thus, reducing the recurrence rate of food shortage, improve and hasten the implementation of irrigation projects, show the need to involve primary stakeholders in project monitoring and appraisal for sustainability, better and efficient decisions by policymakers to increase chances of project’s success.

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Review: Challenges and opportunities for revitalising smallholder irrigation schemes in South Africa

Water SA ◽

10.4314/wsa.v44i3.11 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 44 (3 July) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

M Fanadzo ◽

B Ncube

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Capacity Building ◽

Land Tenure ◽

Government Policy ◽

Food Production ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Arable Land ◽

Smallholder Farming ◽

The Government ◽

Smallholder Irrigation

South Africa is classified as a water-scarce country, and depends on agriculture for food production. The irrigation sector is the largest consumer of water in the country, accounting for about 62% of water utilisation, but also losing 30–40%. Given the threat of drought and climate change, efficient irrigation systems have become a necessity, especially in the smallholder farming sector where most losses occur. Smallholder irrigation schemes (SIS) were developed to improve rural livelihoods through sustainable food production for food security and poverty alleviation, but these development objectives remain largely unfulfilled. The objectives of this review were to assess challenges facing SIS and explore opportunities for revitalising the schemes. The focus was on government policy and strategies to support smallholder farmers. A review of government policy showed that although the needs and interests of smallholder farmers are high on the national agenda, there is insufficient financial support to the sector, suggesting that smallholder agriculture is not really seen as a potential driver of the economy. The core focus of the government on repairing irrigation infrastructure while neglecting the soft components relating to capacity building has partly been blamed for the failure of SIS in South Africa. Capacity building is one of the missing links in smallholder irrigation development and many failures have been attributed to lack of adequately trained farmers and extension staff, particularly in irrigation water management. Land tenure insecurity has been singled out as a major institutional challenge leading to poor performance of irrigation schemes. The diversity of schemes means that different kinds of interventions are needed to respond to varying farmers’ needs, resources and agricultural contexts. These findings point to the need to balance the soft and hard components of the irrigation schemes for sustainability. It is therefore evident that the government needs to review its priorities in revitalisation of SIS. Land tenure policies allowing increased access to arable land need to be developed urgently, together with the promotion of alternative cropping systems that are suitable forthe smallholder farming sector.

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