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

Socio-economic profile of Rufiji flood plain and Delta - Vol. 1
1 Introduction
The socio-economic profile study was conducted in Rufiji District. Rufiji district is one of six districts
in the Coast region, the others being Bagamoyo, Kisarawe, Kibaha, Mafia and Mkuranga. Rufiji is
located to the south of the Coast region. The Rufiji River, the largest in river in Tanzania, intersects
the district. The river floods annually - albeit irregularly, this flooding has large impacts on the
livelihoods of the people living in the district. The floods create specific conditions in the area for
agriculture and fishing (the major economic activities), leading to a ‘flood dependent production
system’. The floods also make most of the district difficult to reach by regular means of transport.
The socio-economic profile was conducted under the auspices of the Rufiji Environment Management
Project (REMP). The general goal of REMP is to promote the long-term conservation through “wise
use” of the lower Rufiji natural resources (forests, woodland and wetlands). The aims of the ‘wise use’
are conservation of biodiversity, maintaining the critical functions of the natural resources, use of
renewable natural resources sustainably and to ensure that the livelihood of the areas’ inhabitants are
secured and enhanced. Detailed information is contained in the project document (URT, 1997).
During the first phase of five years of the project the main objectives of REMP are:
a) To promote the integration of environmental conservation and sustainable development
through environmental planning within the Rufiji Delta and floodplain
b) To promote the sustainable use of natural resources and enhance the livelihoods of local
communities by implementing sustainable pilot development activities based on “wise
use” principles
c) To promote awareness of the values of forests, woodlands and wetlands and the
importance of “wise use” at village, district, regional and central government levels and to
influence national policies on natural resource management emphasising the non-sectoral,
multi-biome, integrated approach to the environment.
The main focus for the socio-economic profile is the flood plain and the Delta areas of the district (see
figure 1). The main reasons for selecting the Delta and flood plains - as presented in the project
proposal document URT (1997:6-7), follows recommendations by the National Environmental
Management Council (NEMC), the Word Wide Fund for nature (WWF), International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and others. The aim was to assess the biodiversity and plan for their
conservation. Perhaps the most important reason for this study is the recommendation by Prof. Semesi,
which among others emphasises that there is a need for a management plan of the area, and that for
conservation efforts to succeed and become effective there is a need for developing a programme of
support to local people. For an effective design and targeting of an environmental development
programme, it is important to understand the socio-economic and cultural circumstances of the target
population and the factors that influence their behaviour towards the use and conservation of natural
resources and the environment. This is one of the justifications of undertaking this study. In addition,
it has generally been observed that when designing environmental management projects, past
interventions to the communities have been based exclusively upon the perceptions of outsiders to the
community. As a result, many interventions have been introduced into communities without first
understanding the socio-economic circumstances of the people at the `grassroots'. To avoid the
problems associated with the `top down' interventions, the socio-economic component is considered to
be important
1.1 Approach and methodology
1.1.1 Purpose of the Consultancy and the Terms of Reference (ToR)
The overall study has three main objectives, which are to:
Produce a socio-economic profile of the flood plain and Delta,
Select additional villages for project intervention and
Design a system for monitoring the socio-economic impact of the project.
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