ABSTRACT
Prior' if 1919, borrow pits excavated into clay pans to collect and retain rainfall and local run-off served as a major water supply source to the settled Fulanis in the Wawa bush of the present Bauchi state, Nigeria. Attempts to make them a regular water supply source in lateryears failed mainly due to lack of maintenance. In the arid regions of Mexico, Arizona and Negev desert,they have been used to harvest local run-off for small-sea irrigation of food and cash crops.However,the cost of excavation makes the use of Lateritic /gravel pits for road base Construction more attractive. The Irrigation scheme using water from 1 ater i t i (-/gravel pit at Hanwa in Zaria, Nigeria and the Socio-economic bene fits of the irrigation scheme are evaluated. The feasibi] Lty study shows that at Least 2.53ha-m of wafer is being conserved annually and this could irrigate about 5ha of farm land. The analysis of the water shows that it is suitable for irrigation of most crops on most soils. The economic appraisal of the irrigation scheme shows that it is viable. The benefit/cost ratio ranged from 1.2 to 3.7 and varied for each farm with an average of 1.88. It is observed that encouraging the use of borrow pits to harvest, run-off for small scale irrigation could provide solution to the decreasing food production in the country.