Challenges and Opportunities of Irrigated Wheat (Triticum Estievum L.) Production in Jimma Zone South West Ethiopia: A Review

: Wheat Production Initiative was designed to make the country self-sufficient in wheat production. The highlands of the central, south-eastern, and North West parts of the country are the main wheat-growing areas, however, there was no/little experience of wheat production in the lowland. Poor irrigation management that results in either excessive or inadequate water application can significantly reduce the potential for profitability. Increasing irrigation efficiency by applying improved water management strategies could be the prime objective for sustainable irrigated agriculture. In Jimma zone, even though there are a plenty of available natural resources such as land, water and suitable agro-ecology, there were some water deficit because of their location (physical nature) in the gorges and not suitable for surface irrigation and demand sophisticated irrigation technology. In this study different literatures were seen in addition to site observation at different irrigated wheat cluster farming to identify the different challenges and opportunities of irrigated wheat production. The major challenges for the production of irrigated wheat in Jimma zone were limited study on the suitability of the specific area of land for irrigated wheat farming, limited agricultural inputs, in adequate and low performance of small scale irrigation schemes, disease and pest problem, lack of market access, lack of financial support for irrigated wheat, and low quality of wheat products. Availability of water resources and irrigable land and high demand of wheat from the consumer side are among the opportunities that encourage farmers and other stakeholders to involve in the irrigated wheat production in Jimma Zone. The quality of irrigated wheat has to get an attention from the producer side.