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The dynamics of the relationship between household decision-making and farm household income in small-scale irrigation schemes in southern Africa

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/10913/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2018.10.002
10.1016/j.agwat.2018.10.002
 
Title The dynamics of the relationship between household decision-making and farm household income in small-scale irrigation schemes in southern Africa
 
Creator Bjornlund, H
Zuo, A
Wheeler, S A
Parry, K
Pittock, J
Mdemu, M
Moyo, M
 
Subject Irrigation
Water Resources
African Agriculture
Africa
Agricultural Economics
Gender Research
 
Description Irrigation has been promoted as a strategy to reduce poverty and improve livelihoods in southern Africa. Households’ livelihood strategies within small-scale irrigation schemes have become increasingly complex and diversified. Strategies consist of farm income from rain-fed and irrigated cropping as well as livestock and an increasing dependence on off-farm income. The success of these strategies depends on the household’s ability to make decisions about how to utilize its’ financial, labour, land and water resources. This study explores the dynamics of decision-making in households on-farm household income within six small-scale irrigation schemes, across three southern African countries. Household survey data (n = 402) was analyzed using ordered probit and ordinary least squares regression. Focus group discussions and field observations provided qualitative data on decision-making in the six schemes. We found strong support for the notion that decision-making dynamics strongly influence total household income. Households make trade-offs between irrigation, dryland, livestock and off-farm work when they allocate their labour resources to maximize household income; as opposed to maximizing the income from any individual component of their livelihood strategy, such as irrigation. Combined with the impact of the small plot size of irrigated land, this is likely to result in sub-optimal benefits from expensive investments in irrigation infrastructure. Policy-makers must consider this when developing and implementing new policies.
 
Publisher Elsevier
 
Date 2019-03
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
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Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/10913/1/Bjornlund%20et%20al.%202018.pdf
Bjornlund, H and Zuo, A and Wheeler, S A and Parry, K and Pittock, J and Mdemu, M and Moyo, M (2019) The dynamics of the relationship between household decision-making and farm household income in small-scale irrigation schemes in southern Africa. Agricultural Water Management (TSI), 213. pp. 135-145. ISSN 03783774