Impact of irrigation on farm household diet quality: Evidence from Ethiopia

Abstract

In theory, irrigation could affect farm households' nutritional status in either direction. On the one hand, irrigation may improve nutritional status by boosting farm productivity and household income. On the other hand, it may deter diet quality by shifting farmers' attention from nutrition‐rich food to cash crops. This study examines the impact of irrigation schemes on farm households' nutritional status using nationally representative data from Ethiopia. Using the endogenous switching regression model, the study shows that irrigation improves diet quality. In addition, the study also identifies the production of micronutrient‐rich crops such as vegetables and fruit and the adoption of productivity‐enhancing inputs as the main pathways through which irrigation affects dietary quality. Hence, irrigation can be considered a viable instrument to enhance the diet quality of smallholders, and efforts should be made to tackle constraints that impede the adoption of irrigation technologies.

Does organizational support affect the governance performance of the farm irrigation system? Evidence from the Yellow River basin in China

“…The effective management of farm irrigation system facilities is the ground for enhancing the entire agricultural production capacity and has substantial practical significance for boosting food yield and unravelling hunger and poverty (Ahmed, 2022; Bacha et al, 2011; Postel et al, 2001; Sellamuttu et al, 2014). However, farm irrigation systems are weakly exclusive and competitive within geographical areas or specific management scopes.…”