The contribution of little Ruaha River to the income of the adjacent households, Iringa, Tanzania

A dissertation on Environmental and Natural Resources Economics

This research for assessing the contribution of Little Ruaha River to the income of the adjacent households was conducted in four selected villages. The main focus was on assessing how individuals, households and communities depend on the river for their income. Specifically, the study aimed at examining the river regime changes for the past 47 years, assessing the main economic activities practiced by people in the elected villages, determining the contribution of the river to the households’ income, evaluating the perception of people regarding river flow change over time and its linkage to household income. Both primary and secondary data were employed in answering these specific objectives. Questionnaires were administered to 200 randomly selected respondents in the four selected villages and supported by secondary data from Rufiji Water Basin Office and Agriculture department in the District Council Office. Simple linear regression model was used to examine the flow changes in little Ruaha river. To assess economic activities conducted by households, descriptive statistics was used to analyze data. Results show that, there is no significant changes in river flow for the period of 47 years. Findings reveal that, paddy production in the area is the main economic activity conducted by majority of the households. Results also indicate that, there is no relationship between river flow change and household income. Despite the insignificant changes in the river flow of Little Ruaha River, the household income tends to increase over time, plausibly because of the agricultural technology introduced to the communities. Increasing public knowledge on Little Ruaha River flow to the community is important, along with exploration of other economic activities which do not jeopardize the sustainability of the river. More research using robust methodologies to ascertain river flow changes and the factors influencing the change is of paramount importance.