Browsing by Author "Swai, Sophia Faustin"

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    The impact of land size and farm fragmentation on Household welfare: the case of Kilosa district in Morogoro, Tanzania
    (SUA, 2016) Swai, Sophia Faustin
    The study on which this thesis is based investigated the impact of land size and farm fragmentation on household welfare in Kilosa District. The specific objectives were to: determine factors affecting household land size, assess the effects of farm size on household income, determine the causes of farm fragmentation, and assess the effect of farm fragmentation on agricultural productivity. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, which was administered to a random sample of household heads in the study area. The area was demarcated into three strata, namely improved irrigation system, traditional irrigation system and no irrigation practice at all. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel programmes were used to analyse the data after ensuring that there was no violation of assumptions of normality, linearity, homoscedasticity and heterogeneity. It was found that land access, size and fragmentation do negatively affect the household income which eventually affects household welfare. It was found that owned land size is a function of adult equivalent unit (p < 0.05), age of household head (p < 0.05) and household income (p 0.05). Farm fragmentation was statistically described to be a function of average travel time from homestead to the farm (p < 0.01), total land owned per capita (p < 0.01), number of crops grown by household (p < 0.05), total arable land per capita (p < 0.05) and means of land acquisition (p < 0.05). Agricultural productivity decreased with farm fragmentation hence the Schultz’s theory which asserts an inverse relationship between farm fragmentation and agricultural productivity was disproved. Land consolidation and installation of modern irrigation structures are therefore recommended for improved productivity, increased income and enhancement of welfare of farmers in the study area.
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    Socio-economic impact of water and land use conflicts between sedentary farmers and nomadic pastoralists: the case of Usangu plains in Tanzania
    (Sokoine University of Agriculture, 2008) Swai, Sophia Faustin
    A study was conducted in Mbarali District (Mbeya region) to investigate the socio­ economic impact of water and land use conflicts between pastoralists and farmers in the Usangu Plains. The study aimed at identifying the major causes of conflicts between pastoralists and farmers; determining the effects of these conflicts on agricultural production, quantifying the time and material resources spent in conflict involvement and providing technical recommendations related to conflict minimization. Using various Participatory Rural Appraisal methods and formal and informal surveys, data were gathered from six villages namely: Ilongo, Kilambo, Mhwela, Nsonyanga, Mahongole and Matebete. The collected data were analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The results showed that water shortage and size of the owned land were the major factors determining the involvement of a household in conflicts (p < 0.05) and (p < 0.01) respectively. On average about seven days were annually spent in these types of conflicts. The monetary costs resulting from the involvement in conflicts were estimated to average at TAS 105 162.62 per household per annum - which amounts to an average share of approximately 11% of the total household income per annum (i.e. TAS 1 661 364.97). The study recommends that: a) the local government should take purposive measures to ensure that there are effective and coherent land use planning mechanisms, b) migratory and sedentary pastoralists should be advised and sensitized to reduce their livestock numbers to match with the carrying capacity of the available grazing land, c) water and land use conflicts be minimized by exploring alternative supplies (e.g. ground water resources and rain water harvesting) and encouraging proper use of the available water and land resources.