Socio Economic Effects of Water Management on household livelihoods at Busiga commune of Ngozi Province in Burundi

Abstract

Water is essential for all life on Earth.  It provides many environmental goods and services that are of economic benefit to society. Water is a variable parameter for different applications in the fields of climate system, hydrology, and most critically in agriculture. Despise these benefits, water resources seem to face severe quantitative and qualitative threats worldwide especially in Burundi at Gatika and Rugori, hills where water was lost in several ways especially during the rainy season where floods coupled with erosion washed away crops. To cope with this trend, a study has been carried out with water management through different methods such as suspended barrels, micro-irrigation and cemented well to stabilize water resources in the region. The results of this study highlighted the effectiveness of water management on these two hills. It has played a major role in enabling famer to cultivate many abandoned plots through irrigation with water stocked in barrels and well. Furthermore, environment protection from flood and erosion was observed. Moreover, the outcomes showed improved crop production and yield, resulting in improved food security ascribed to diversified crops production. Likewise, enhancement of monthly income has been pointed out. The study encourages the population to undertake water management methods to boost the agro economy systems and benefit its advantages.