Browsing by Author "Urujeni Sandrine"

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    Economic valuation of irrigation water in smallholder farming system in rwanda: the case of Kibaya – Cyunuzi scheme
    (Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2012) Urujeni Sandrine
    Rwanda is in a current shift of management of state controlled irrigation schemes to farmers through the Irrigation Management Transfer (1MT) programme. However, such water management decisions require conceptually correct and empirically accurate estimates of the economic value of water. This study was carried out to determine the economic value of irrigation water in a smallholder irrigation scheme of Kibaya - Cyunuzi. Data was collected from 110 respondents within the scheme. The data was analyzed using descriptive and quantitative methods. The Residual Computation Method was used to compute the economic value of irrigation water for paddy rice - the main crop cultivated in the scheme. The Contingent Valuation Method was employed to elicit the farmers’ willingness to pay for irrigation water and its related infrastructure. Socio-technical analysis helped to capture the process of water control and management through Water Users Associations. Results showed that the average economic value of water in irrigated paddy was low (5.33 Rwf/m3), mainly due to poor management of water. Water productivity was also low (0.08 kg/m3) due to an insufficient supply of water to the scheme. The CVM analysis showed that on average, the respondents were willing to pay 8000 Rwf per ha per annum for irrigation water. IMT impact assessment showed that WUAs are the realms of interaction for different stakeholders involved in water management. The problems farmers were facing in improving water productivity in the scheme were identified but the solutions require joint effort among the stakeholders. Policy decisions related to water sector investments, allocation and management could be better guided if the key dimensions of water i.e. water availability and use, are properly taken into account in valuation.