eprintid: 10913
rev_number: 17
eprint_status: archive
userid: 1305
dir: disk0/00/01/09/13
datestamp: 2018-10-24 04:29:08
lastmod: 2020-01-17 03:03:39
status_changed: 2018-10-24 04:29:08
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Bjornlund, H
creators_name: Zuo, A
creators_name: Wheeler, S A
creators_name: Parry, K
creators_name: Pittock, J
creators_name: Mdemu, M
creators_name: Moyo, M
creators_id: female
creators_id: female
creators_gender: Female
creators_gender: Female
icrisatcreators_name: Moyo, M
affiliation: School of Commerce, University of South Australia (Adelaide)
affiliation: Centre for Global Food and Resources, University of Adelaide (Adelaide)
affiliation: Fenner School, The Australian National University (Canberra)
affiliation: Ardhi University (Dar es Salaam)
affiliation: ICRISAT (Bulawayo)
country: Australia
country: Tanzania
country: Zimbabwe
title: The dynamics of the relationship between household decision-making and farm household income in small-scale irrigation schemes in southern Africa
ispublished: pub
subjects: s17
subjects: s23
subjects: s28
subjects: s31
subjects: s33
subjects: s333
divisions: CRPS4
crps: crp1.13
full_text_status: public
keywords: Irrigation, Southern Africa, Livelihood strategies, Household income, Gender balance in decision-making,
Household decision-making, Farm household income, Small scale irrigation schemes
note: This study was part of the project “Increasing irrigation water
productivity in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe through on-farm
monitoring, adaptive management and Agricultural Innovation
Platforms” partially funded by the Australian Government via the
Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research
(< GN1>LWR/2016/137</GN1 >). CGIAR’s Research Program on
Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE), CGIAR Fund Donors and Australian
Research Council (FT140100773) also provided funding. The following
project researchers contributed to data collection: Nuru Mziray, Wilson
de Sousa, Etevaldo Cheveia, Emmanuel Kimaro and Andre van Rooyen.
Comments from two anonymous reviewers much improved this
manuscript.
abstract: 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.
date: 2019-03
date_type: published
publication: Agricultural Water Management (TSI)
volume: 213
publisher: Elsevier
pagerange: 135-145
id_number: 10.1016/j.agwat.2018.10.002
refereed: TRUE
issn: 03783774
official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2018.10.002
funders: CGIAR’s Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE)
funders: CGIAR Fund Donors
funders: Australian Research Council
projects: Increasing irrigation water productivity in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe through on-farm monitoring, adaptive management and Agricultural Innovation Platforms”
citation:   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     
document_url: http://oar.icrisat.org/10913/1/Bjornlund%20et%20al.%202018.pdf