The Impact of Access to Irrigation on Rural Household Income in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Agriculture is the main source of income of households in rural area. Therefore, access to irrigation significantly impact the level of income of households. Consequently, the quality of irrigation infrastructure has essential effect on the level of household welfare and their economic performance. Improving water use efficiency and infrastructure will positively affect households’ income in rural areas. In this study we analyzed the impact of access to irrigation to household income in rural area by using of Life in Kyrgyzstan Survey data for the year of 2016. The effect of access to irrigation on income of households in Kyrgyzstan analyzed according to size of land, type of irrigation, amount of water used and cost of irrigation, gender, and age of household head by using ordinary least square regression model. Results showed that access to an irrigation canal and using the tillage method significantly increase household income.