Are Small-Scale Irrigators Water Use Efficient? Evidence from Lake Naivasha Basin, Kenya

Abstract

With increasing water scarcity and competing uses and users, water use efficiency is becoming increasingly important in many parts of developing countries. The lake Naivasha basin has an array of different water users and uses ranging from large scale export market agriculture, urban domestic water users to small holder farmers. The small scale farmers are located in the upper catchment areas and form the bulk of the users in terms of area and population. This study used farm household data to explore the overall technical efficiency, irrigation water use efficiency and establish the factors influencing water use efficiency among small scale farmers in the Lake Naivasha basin in Kenya. Data envelopment analysis, general algebraic and modeling system, and Tobit regression methods were used in analyzing cross sectional data from a sample of 201 small scale irrigation farmers in the lake Naivasha basin. The results showed that on average, the farmers achieved only 63 % technical efficiency and 31 % water use efficiency. This revealed that substantial inefficiencies occurred in farming operations among the sampled farmers. To improve water use efficiency, the study recommends that more emphasis be put on orienting farmers toward appropriate choice of irrigation technologies, appropriate choice of crop combinations in their farms, and the attainment of desirable levels of farm fragmentation.

Assessing Performance of Small‐Scale Pumped Irrigation Systems in sub‐Saharan Africa: Evidence from a Systematic Review

“…However, this study revealed that technical factors are also important in the success of SSI pumps. This supports previous studies (Adams, 1990;Njiraini and Guthiga, 2013;Borgia et al, 2013) that argued that most small irrigation systems in SSA are not technically effective. Similarly, in Kenya, Kulecho and Weatherhead (2006) suggested that the failure of drip irrigation systems was due to a lack of maintenance and unreliable water supply, suggesting that abandonment of most irrigation technologies is likely due to their technical challenges.…”

Water Use Efficiency and Its Influencing Factors in China: Based on the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)—Tobit Model

“…Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a widely used method in empirical studies on water use efficiency and water supply efficiency. This method has also been used to calculate the water use efficiency in Canada [6], Kenya [7], the United States [8,9], Australia [10], Europe [11], and India [12][13][14]. Regarding studies on China, Ren et al [15] analyzed water use efficiency using a two-stage DEA method.…”

An Overview of the Current Status of Lake Naivasha Fishery: Challenges and Management Strategies

“…Oloidien as hyper-trophic [10,26]. The lake posted Dissolved Oxygen (DO) of up to 9 mg l -1 in the late 1990s compared to an average of 7 mg l -1 in 2015.…”

“…Sustainable utilization and development plans of the lake fisheries require the management regimes to use a holistic approach that encompasses the entire catchment and includes all possible factors that may affect the health of the lake ecosystem. Decisions should be made starting from the local to the national level for the solutions to be more accepted by the stakeholders [26]. For example, there could be concerted efforts by the relevant authorities to promote efficient farming practices that will conserve water, guarantee safe use and disposal of agro-chemicals.…”

“…Greatest part of the land surrounding Lake Naivasha was previously protected by a border of C. papyrus wetlands that controlled the ecology of the lake by regulating entry of nutrients, sediments and acted as natural purifiers of water [26,27]. The swamp that covered about 1,200 ha has been reduced to less than 200 ha, compromising its efficiency and effectiveness as a buffer area allowing entry of nutrients into the lake that contributes to the lake eutrophication [28].…”