A Socio-Economic Profile of the Rufiji Floodplain and Delta.
A Socio-Economic Profile of the Rufiji Floodplain and Delta.
A Socio-Economic Profile of the Rufiji Floodplain and Delta.
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<strong>Socio</strong>-economic pr<strong>of</strong>ile <strong>of</strong> <strong>Rufiji</strong> flood plain <strong>and</strong> <strong>Delta</strong> - Vol. 1<br />
There is a number <strong>of</strong> ways respondents cope with food shortage. These include buying food, begging<br />
assistance from relatives, begging assistance from governments, eating alternative foods <strong>and</strong> trying out<br />
new crops.<br />
The main household source <strong>of</strong> energy is derived from trees in form <strong>of</strong> firewood, charcoal, coconut<br />
husks etc. The responsibility <strong>of</strong> firewood collection is on women members. Overall results on<br />
household energy needs show that fuelwood is not a traded good in <strong>the</strong> survey area <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>refore<br />
contribute very little to household income. The incentive to grow trees for <strong>the</strong> purpose <strong>of</strong> obtaining<br />
fuelwood is not well facilitated by <strong>the</strong> market.<br />
Despite <strong>the</strong> fact that household energy is derived from trees, respondents do not plant trees. The<br />
reasons are that trees grow naturally <strong>and</strong> are still many. The implication is that villagers perceive trees<br />
as abundant. To change this perception <strong>the</strong>re is a need for educational campaigns.<br />
Expenditure items in <strong>the</strong> survey area were categorised into food <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r household expenditures.<br />
The highest expenditure on food turned out to be fish, rice <strong>and</strong> maize. These are <strong>the</strong> main food items<br />
for <strong>the</strong> area. For o<strong>the</strong>r household expenditures, o<strong>the</strong>r consumption goods such as household items,<br />
clo<strong>the</strong>s etc ranked <strong>the</strong> highest. O<strong>the</strong>r high expenditure items are fishing savings <strong>and</strong> education Savings<br />
in survey area seemed to be high expenditure item. This may give indications <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> future acceptance<br />
<strong>of</strong> savings <strong>and</strong> credit schemes in <strong>the</strong> area. Overall improvement in production, processing <strong>and</strong> storage<br />
techniques will reduce cash expenditure on food items.<br />
Production <strong>of</strong> commodities at <strong>the</strong> household level is mainly aimed at household consumption with a<br />
little surplus for sale. Very few households (22) were involved in trading. The main tradable goods<br />
include agricultural crops, livestock, forest products <strong>and</strong> fish. Improvement in transport infrastructure<br />
is likely to stimulate production for sale.<br />
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