A Socio-Economic Profile of the Rufiji Floodplain and Delta.

Socio-economic profile of Rufiji flood plain and Delta - Vol. 1
Table 11: Means of dependency ratio (%) by AEZ
AEZ Mean N Std. Deviation
Inner Delta North 143.0 44 96.7
Inner Delta South 96.2 15 82.5
Delta North 185.3 26 201.0
Delta South 138.6 30 101.5
North Flood Plain 123.5 24 132.3
South Flood Plain 136.6 13 77.3
West Valley 122.3 28 113.3
Total 138.2 180 123.4
Source: Computed from survey data. 2000
A comparison was made between this cross-sectional dependency 3 ratio and the dependency ratio
reported in 1978 and 1988 population census. The results show that the dependency ratio has increased
from 105.82 in 1988 to 138.2 in 1999, indicating a worsening dependency ratio. Dependency ratio
obtained by TEHIP (Tanzania Essential Health Interventions Project) in RDSS (Rufiji Demographic
Surveillance System also shows an increase in dependency ratio (i.e., 110). As pointed out earlier,
there is a need for improving the productivity of agriculture in order to meet the requirement of the
population, which is unable to work in the farm. This includes among others the improvement in
production technologies.
Migration Patterns
Migration patterns in the survey area were looked at in two ways. The first one is the migration from
other areas to the survey areas, including movement from other villages, wards, districts and regions.
The second one is the seasonal migration within the survey areas mainly for agricultural and fishing
purposes.
The interviewed respondents generally indicated that they have been living in their current village for
32.years (Table 12). This implies that their families have moved into the current villages over 30 years
ago. There are variations within the AEZ with respect to years the respondent has been living in the
village.
Table 12: Average number of years the respondent has lived in village
AEZ Mean N Std. Deviation
Inner Delta North 26 44 10
Inner Delta South 28 15 14
Delta North 35 25 24
Delta South 45 29 17
North Flood Plain 34 24 17
South Flood Plain 24 13 14
West Valley 30 29 14
Total 32 179 16
Source Survey Data, 2000
The highest number of years is recorded in Delta South (45 years) and the lowest in inner Delta north
(16 years, Table 12). There is significant difference among the AEZ with respect to number of years
the villager has been living there (F=5.0, p=0.00).
3 Note that the census dependency ratios covered the whole district and the calculation may not be exactly the
same as in this report. The results should therefore be interpreted carefully. We were not able to get reliable
village population statistics, with exception of very few villages.
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