Optimizing Irrigation Water and Nutrient Management Strategies for Maize Production through a Participatory Approach on the Selected Irrigation Schemes of Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia

In the semi-arid regions of Eastern Amhara, inadequate and unevenly distributed rainfall negatively affects rainfed agriculture, particularly maize production. To address this, a pre-scale-up study was conducted to evaluate improved irrigation technologies using the Farmer Research Extension Group (FREG) approach. Two irrigation practices traditional and improved were compared at Golina1 and Sedeni sites. The improved practice included the use of the Melkassa-6Q maize variety, row planting (75 cm × 30 cm), furrow irrigation (with specific dimensions and gradient), a seed rate of 25 kg ha⁻¹, and recommended fertilizers (200 kg ha⁻¹ Urea and 50 kg ha⁻¹ NPS). In contrast, the traditional practice involved local varieties, broadcast sowing (40 kg ha⁻¹), traditional flooding at 12-day intervals, and lower fertilizer rates (50 kg ha⁻¹ Urea and NPS). The improved practice significantly outperformed the traditional method, achieving higher green cob yields (38,125 ha⁻¹ at Golina1 and 34,330 ha⁻¹ at Sedeni), better water productivity (17 and 16 cobs m⁻³), and greater net benefits (222,575 ETB ha⁻¹ and 174,487 ETB ha⁻¹, respectively). This represented yield increases of 29.9% and 30.2%, and net benefit improvements of 79.63% and 86.84% over traditional practices. Additionally, improved irrigation reduced seasonal water demand by 72.4 mm and 131.6 mm, indicating substantial water savings.Overall, the study demonstrated that improved irrigation and agronomic practices significantly enhance maize yield, water use efficiency, and profitability, and were positively received by participating farmers.