| Summary: | <p>The objectives of this study were to evaluate the environmental and socio-economic
impacts of small-scale water harvesting projects in the highland agro-ecozone of Tigrai,
Northern Ethiopia, specifically the CIDA-funded Water Harvesting Institutional
Strengthening Tigrai (WHIST) project of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration's
(PFRA). A second objective was to evaluate the farmers' indigenous knowledge (IK) in
relation to land management and project development. Farmers' IK of their land includes
local descriptive terms for soil, based on colour, topographic occurrence, fertility, tilth and
crop suitability. Farmers rely on their IK to make decisions about land use and cropping.
Farmers consider that soil quality declines with increasing cultivation and is mainly a
consequence of the removal of nearly all crop residues. Government policies related to land
ownership are important factors influencing conservation and sustainability, and policies
that establish long-term rights to land by farmers are needed.</p>
<p>The IK of soil quality and land relates well to scientific knowledge and provides an
opportunity for researchers, extension workers and project developers to establish effective
communication with farmers, and can supplement the scarce scientific data. Combining the
IK and scientific knowledge (SK) may improve the success and productivity water
harvesting and other development projects in the region. Qualitative information from
household surveys supplements the quantitative information obtained through scientific
studies and they should be incorporated in future studies.</p>
<p>Smallholder farmers and their households have benefited from the WHIST projects
(micro-dams and river diversion systems, on-farm reservoirs and shallow wells) in terms of
reducing farming risks, improving yields of marketable crops, and developing improved markets. Successful irrigators became more food-secure and their income increased
compared to non- irrigators. Despite their positive contribution, many water projects failed
to achieve their objectives because of water loss through seepage and evaporation,
inappropriate water application strategies, and lack of knowledge of soils and topography in
the catchment areas. Poorly placed on farm reservoirs (OFRs) often occupy the most
productive farmlands. Inadequate preliminary studies by project developers and the
exclusion of fanners and their IK from decision making during construction and
management resulted in the poor designs of many projects. It is critical that farmers be
included at all stages of project development in order to improve environmental
sustainability, achieve economic growth, and to enhance contributions to food security.</p>
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