Abstract:
The objective of the study was to investigate the Assessing the role of irrigation for the Rural
Households the case of Libo Kem Kem Woreda , Amhara region ,Ethiopia . Multi-stage sampling
techniques were used for the selection of the sample Kebele and sample respondents. Data were
collected from 122 randomly selected household heads 61 users and 61 non-users from four
Kebeles of the Woreda. Survey questionnaire, key informant interview and focus group
discussions were used as primary data sources. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were
applied for analyzing the data. T-test, paired and independent T-test were used to compare
income before and after irrigation, users and non-users respectively, correlation was used in
order to see the relationship between continuous variables. Moreover, multiple linear regression
models were used to identify factors that affect the income of rural households. The result of T test revealed that the use of small scale irrigation was found positively significantly related with
the income of households. In the multiple regression models a total of Seventeen explanatory
variables were included. Among these, nine variables were found significant. The multiple
regression analysis showed that the farm size , Educational status, family labor force, access to
irrigation, number of Oxen, Livestock ownership, access to training, access to training, access to
credit, off-farm/non-farm income of households were found significant factors that affect the
income of households. Therefore, the finding of the study suggested that concerned bodies should
give more focus on strengthening and development of small scale irrigations to increase the
income of households in the study area.
