Small-Scale Irrigation Farming as a Climate-Smart Agriculture Practice; Its Adoption and Impact on Food Security for Ethiopian Smallholder Farmers: A Review

This review examines the adoption of small-scale irrigation farming as a climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practice and its influence on food security among smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. As climate change continues to threaten agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, CSA practices offer potential solutions for enhancing resilience and food security. Small-scale irrigation, in particular, has gained attention as a promising strategy for Ethiopian smallholders. The study synthesizes existing literature to analyze the factors influencing the adoption of small-scale irrigation systems, the challenges faced in implementation, and the impacts on food security outcomes. Findings indicate that adoption is influenced by a complex interplay of socio-economic, demographic, and institutional factors. Access to credit, land tenure security, and farmers' education levels emerge as key determinants of adoption rates. Implementation challenges include limited technical knowledge, inadequate infrastructure, and water resource management issues. Despite these obstacles, evidence suggests that small-scale irrigation can significantly improve crop yields, income diversification, and overall household food security. Irrigated farms show higher productivity and greater resilience to climate variability compared to rain-fed agriculture. The review also highlights the gender dimensions of irrigation adoption, noting that women often face greater barriers to accessing and benefiting from these technologies. Policy implications point towards the need for targeted support to overcome adoption barriers, including improved extension services, credit facilities, and gender-sensitive interventions. Whereas small-scale irrigation demonstrates considerable potential as a CSA practice, its success depends on context-specific implementation and supportive policy environments. This review emphasizes the importance of holistic approaches that address both technical and socio-economic aspects of irrigation adoption to enhance food security for Ethiopian smallholder farmers in the face of climate change.