A STUDY OF THE NATURE AND IMPACT OF SMALL SCALE IRRIGATION SCHEMES IN ANAMBRA STATE
A STUDY OF THE NATURE AND IMPACT OF SMALL SCALE IRRIGATION SCHEMES IN ANAMBRA STATE
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Date
1982-11-30
Authors
FRANCIS, IKECHUKWU NWANKWO UDE
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Abstract
This study is concerned with the description
and evaluation of the nature and impact of six smallscale
irrigation projects in Anambra State that are
primarily devoted to the growing of rice.
The aim of the study was to describe and account
for the distribution of irrigation schemes in Anambra
State; to analyse and evaluate the nature, degree and
ramifications of their impact on agriculture and on the
socio-economic and cultural environment of the project
location areas; and to assess the resultant spatial
linkages between them and other areas within the State.
It was hypothesized firstly, that the projects'
impact varied between locations and was directly related
to physical and socio-cultural qualities of individual
areas. Secondly that the impact also varied between
individuals and groups owing to the influence their
socio-economic characteristics have on their response to
new ideas and opportunities.
The data for the study were collected from two sets
of questionnaires administered to project officials and
participant farmers. Information was sought on various
aspects of the projects such as organisational structure,
input supply and use, institutional and infrastructural
development and general project assessment. Tables,
simple percentages, chi-square tests, one-way and two-way
analysis were all used in the analysis of data.
Findings of the study are, namely there has been
growing acceptability of rice cultivation by the people
in all the locations as reflected in a four-fold and five
fold increase in the number of participating farm families
and hecterage respectively, and also in aggregate total
rice production by individuals in all the projects within
the study period.
2. The projects offered employment opportunities but
the local people have mostly benefitted as casual
labour and junior staff. Those employed in these
categories accounted for between 53 and 100% of these
groups in individual locations. There has also been an
enhancement in value of land and houses in the project
areas.
3. There was a general rise in the rate of adoption of
innovations propogated by the projects; this was found
to bo more pronounced in the project farms than those
outside them.
4. Employment opportunities and other prospects in the
project areas were found to have induced migration of
people from outside the locations as labourers, skilled
workers and farmers. A majority of these were, however,
found to have come from adjacent places to the project
locations or from places whose people have cultural
affinities with the project areas, or have long tradition
of rice growing.
5. Accessibility to the project areas from outside was
found to have improved considerably owing to the efforts
of the project management in the maintenance of existing
roads and construction of new ones.
6. The projects have contributed to economic and sociocultural
dislocations in the areas where they are located.
For instances as many as 40% of the people in these areas
lost both land and crops or other economic plants. The
traditional communal land-tenure system was being undermined
in favour of individual holdings. Moreover added labour
demand from the traditional family source, occasioned
by the projects' activities, has led to the worsening of
labour scarcity. It was also found that attachment of
undue importance to rice crop to the detriment of the
peoples1 traditional staples, and unenthusiastic, or at
best belated support from project authorities to the
development of institutional facilities like co-operatives
and credit system will unlikely make the project selfsustaining
in future.
7. The extent and degree of benefits derived by
participants were found to vary not only between
individuals but also projects. The cause of the variation
was found to be strongly related to location and to the
socio-economic characteristics of individual participants
with reference to education, income, migrant and marital
status.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the Post-graduate School,
Ahmadu Bello University, in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the degree of Master of
Arts.
Department of Geography
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Date: 30th November, 1982
Keywords
NATURE,, SCALE IRRIGATION,, ANAMBRA STATE