Evaluation of water productivity of smallholder irrigation along a Sand River, in the Maigobo watershed of northern Ethiopia
Sand dams are a type of rainwater harvesting technology that can increase groundwater recharge in dry land environments. They are constructed across seasonal sandy rivers and trap sand and water during floods. The sand acts as a natural filter and storage medium for the water, which can be extracted...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Challenges |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010023001245 |
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| author | Sintayehu Fetene Demessie Meseret Woldeyohannes |
| author_facet | Sintayehu Fetene Demessie Meseret Woldeyohannes |
| author_sort | Sintayehu Fetene Demessie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sand dams are a type of rainwater harvesting technology that can increase groundwater recharge in dry land environments. They are constructed across seasonal sandy rivers and trap sand and water during floods. The sand acts as a natural filter and storage medium for the water, which can be extracted by the local communities through wells, pumps, or scoop holes. This research aims to evaluate agricultural water productivity based on water consumption (ETa) and biomass production of smallholder irrigation schemes along a sand river with a sand dam in the riverbeds of northern Ethiopia. Remotely sensed satellite data, WaPOR (Water Productivity through Open access of Remotely sensed derived data) database was used to estimate water productivity in the arid and semi-arid area. Following the installation of the sand dam at the irrigated parts of the Mai Gobo watershed, both the annual and seasonal values increased over a number of years, according to the spatial analysis of ETa and biomass production. For instance, the maximum seasonal ETa before the dam was about 70 mm/season, whereas after the dam the spatially analysed ETa reached 174 mm/season. Likewise, maximum seasonal biomass production of 1117 kg/ha and 4433 kg/ha were obtained before and after the construction of the sand dam, respectively. Agricultural water productivity at the irrigated plots of the Mai Gobo watershed was also improved from 1.4 kg/m3 to 2.9 kg/m3 before and after the sand dam respectively. Generally, the output of the study can be used as an input for the concerned stakeholder to take measures against the water scarcity problem in the study area. The study also contributes to the scientific knowledge and understanding of the hydrological and agronomical impacts of the sand dam in the arid and semi-arid regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T20:04:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5f84395665244d159ac745cfa69c39a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-0100 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T20:04:02Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Challenges |
| spelling | doaj.art-5f84395665244d159ac745cfa69c39a12024-02-28T05:14:20ZengElsevierEnvironmental Challenges2667-01002024-01-0114100801Evaluation of water productivity of smallholder irrigation along a Sand River, in the Maigobo watershed of northern EthiopiaSintayehu Fetene Demessie0Meseret Woldeyohannes1Kotebe University of Education, College of Business, Technology and Vocational Education, Addis Ababa PO Box 31248, Ethiopia; Research Scholar at Haramaya University, Africa Center of Excellence for Climate‑Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia; Corresponding author.Kotebe University of Education, College of Business, Technology and Vocational Education, Addis Ababa PO Box 31248, EthiopiaSand dams are a type of rainwater harvesting technology that can increase groundwater recharge in dry land environments. They are constructed across seasonal sandy rivers and trap sand and water during floods. The sand acts as a natural filter and storage medium for the water, which can be extracted by the local communities through wells, pumps, or scoop holes. This research aims to evaluate agricultural water productivity based on water consumption (ETa) and biomass production of smallholder irrigation schemes along a sand river with a sand dam in the riverbeds of northern Ethiopia. Remotely sensed satellite data, WaPOR (Water Productivity through Open access of Remotely sensed derived data) database was used to estimate water productivity in the arid and semi-arid area. Following the installation of the sand dam at the irrigated parts of the Mai Gobo watershed, both the annual and seasonal values increased over a number of years, according to the spatial analysis of ETa and biomass production. For instance, the maximum seasonal ETa before the dam was about 70 mm/season, whereas after the dam the spatially analysed ETa reached 174 mm/season. Likewise, maximum seasonal biomass production of 1117 kg/ha and 4433 kg/ha were obtained before and after the construction of the sand dam, respectively. Agricultural water productivity at the irrigated plots of the Mai Gobo watershed was also improved from 1.4 kg/m3 to 2.9 kg/m3 before and after the sand dam respectively. Generally, the output of the study can be used as an input for the concerned stakeholder to take measures against the water scarcity problem in the study area. The study also contributes to the scientific knowledge and understanding of the hydrological and agronomical impacts of the sand dam in the arid and semi-arid regions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010023001245ETaMai GoboSand damWater scarcityWater productivityWaPOR |
| spellingShingle | Sintayehu Fetene Demessie Meseret Woldeyohannes Evaluation of water productivity of smallholder irrigation along a Sand River, in the Maigobo watershed of northern Ethiopia Environmental Challenges ETa Mai Gobo Sand dam Water scarcity Water productivity WaPOR |
| title | Evaluation of water productivity of smallholder irrigation along a Sand River, in the Maigobo watershed of northern Ethiopia |
| title_full | Evaluation of water productivity of smallholder irrigation along a Sand River, in the Maigobo watershed of northern Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of water productivity of smallholder irrigation along a Sand River, in the Maigobo watershed of northern Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of water productivity of smallholder irrigation along a Sand River, in the Maigobo watershed of northern Ethiopia |
| title_short | Evaluation of water productivity of smallholder irrigation along a Sand River, in the Maigobo watershed of northern Ethiopia |
| title_sort | evaluation of water productivity of smallholder irrigation along a sand river in the maigobo watershed of northern ethiopia |
| topic | ETa Mai Gobo Sand dam Water scarcity Water productivity WaPOR |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667010023001245 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sintayehufetenedemessie evaluationofwaterproductivityofsmallholderirrigationalongasandriverinthemaigobowatershedofnorthernethiopia AT meseretwoldeyohannes evaluationofwaterproductivityofsmallholderirrigationalongasandriverinthemaigobowatershedofnorthernethiopia |