AN ASSESMENT ON SUSTAINABILITY OF AFAR IRRIGATION BASED INTEGRATED AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: THE CASE OF SUPPORT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT NGO

Abstract

The small scale irrigation development programs which are implemented by the NGO Support For Sustainable Development is with an aim of helping marginalized community of the area in that they could generate their own income and will also reduce poverty and yet some of the projects implemented tend to stop functioning and are giving unsatisfactory results in terms of economic growth, social development and environmental development. Small scale irrigation projects are irrigation projects in which infrastructure are built for the society that are suitable for irrigating their lands in gaining water for their farm lands. The objective of the study was to assess the sustainability of irrigation based integrated projects implemented by Support for Sustainable development NGO. There are indications that projects implemented by the NGO tend to stop functioning and are giving unsatisfactory results in terms of economic growth, social development and environmental development. Both primary and secondary qualitative data were collected for the study from Support for Sustainable Development’s directors, managers and officers at the head office level and the NGO’s different documentations. The data collection techniques were through interview with key professionals of SSD’s staffs and through reviewing different documents of SSD. The findings of the result reveal the positive influence that created on the marginalized community in the Afar region, the challenges that the project faced in implementing the project, and the numbered list of successful and unsuccessful projects implemented by SSD.