Can Socio-Economic Incentives Improve the Livelihoods of Communities Surrounding Rehabilitated ecosystems? An empirical evidence of Kondoa Rehabilitated Rural Areas, Dodoma, Tanzania

Volume 1 - Issue 3

Chami Avit A*

Received: March 01, 2018;;   Published: March 13, 2018

DOI: 10.32474/CIACR.2018.01.000115

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Abstract

Communities need motivation in order to effectively and sustainably participate in conserving the surrounding environmental resources. However the contribution of socio-economic incentives towards improving the livelihoods of communities surrounding rehabilitated ecosystems remains scantly known. This study was an attempt to reveal the less known contribution of socioeconomic incentives towards improving the livelihoods of communities surrounding rehabilitated ecosystems drawing empirical evidences from Kondoa Rehabilitated Rural Areas (KRA), Dodoma, Tanzania. The cross-sectional research design was employed. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 30 respondents from each of the four study villages and make a total of 120 respondent households.

The study was conducted in Mafai, Ntomoko, Kalamba-Juu and Kalamba-Chini villages. Data were collected using pre-tested and pilot-tested questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews. Ms-Excel and SPSS 20.0 computer software were used to analyze data. Descriptive statistics were employed to reveal various parameters in the study. Chi-square test was further employed to reveal the contribution of economic incentives on the total household income. The study findings revealed five socio-economic incentives which are widely adopted in the KRA namely tree seedlings, fertilizer, improved seeds, beekeeping inputs and education programs. It was further reported from the study findings that the income earned from practicing activities related to socio-economic incentives to be high as it accrues 61% of the total household income.

The Chi-square test further revealed that contribution of socio-economic incentive to total household income is statistically significant at p<0.05. It was concluded from the study findings that socio-economic incentives were highly useful towards enhancing household income and consequently resulting to positive outcomes to the livelihood activities prevailing in the area. The adoption of socio-economic incentives was found quite useful in the course of improving the livelihoods of the households in KRA hence leading to sustainable conservation of the biodiversity resources in KRA. Based on the study findings, the conservationists, environmentalists and policy makers are hereby urged to effectively capacitate the communities surrounding the rehabilitated rural areas with an indepth understanding of how to utilize and commercialize the applied socio-economic incentives so as to effectively conserve the surrounding biodiversity resources while earning substantial income in return.

Keywords: Socio-economic incentives; Livelihoods; Rehabilitated rural areas

Abbrevations: KRA: Kondoa Rehabilitated Rural Areas; NEMC: National Environmental Management Council; LAMP: Land Management Program; HADO: Hifadhi Ardhi Dodoma; HASHI: Hifadhi Ardhi Shinyanga; HIMA: Hifadhi Mazingira Project; SCAPA: Soil Conservation and Agro-forestry Program; KEA: Kondoa Eroded Area; UMBCP: Uluguru Mountain Biodiversity Conservation Project; WCST: Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania; UMADEP: Uluguru Mountain Agriculture Development Project

Abstract| Introduction| Research Methodology| Results and Discussions| Conclusion| Recommendations| Acknowledgement| References|