Impact of microirrigation technologies on financial resilience of smallholder horticulture farmers

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of microirrigation technologies (MITs), primarily drip and microsprinkler systems, on financial resilience of smallholder horticultural farmers in northern Tanzania. A multistage sampling method was used to select 540 households, comprising 199 MITs adopters and 341 nonadopters. Data were collected through structured questionnaires cap turing demographic, agroecological, and technical irrigation parameters, including emitter discharge rates (1.5–4.0 L/h), irrigation frequency two to three times per week, and water source quality (electrical conductivity, EC,2 dS/m). To quantify MITs’ contribution to financial resilience, a Financial Resilience Index (FRI) was constructed using both objective and subjective indicators. Propensity score matching was employed to calculate the average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) and the average treatment effect (ATE). The results indicate that MITs adoption significantly enhances both financial and production out comes. Adopters experienced an increase of 549,515 Tanzania Shillings on FRI compared to nonadopters (ATT, p,0.01) and achieved a 1.06 log-point increase in yield (t¼17.87). The ATE (0.6453) and ATT (0.7334) further confirmed MITs’ significant impact across the sample. Policies facilitating adoption of MITs, including subsidies, technical training, and enhanced access to capital, are crucial for amplifying MITs adoption.