Browsing by Author "Yamat, Lucas Elius"

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    A comparative cost-benefit analysis of mobile and sedentary pastoralist production systems in Tanzania: a case of selected villages in Kiteto and Karatu districts
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2017) Yamat, Lucas Elius
    The overriding question is whether the ongoing debate that sedentary livestock raising is more productive, utilize less resources and space than mobile pastoral systems is rational. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to carry out a comparative cost-benefit analysis of mobile pastoral and sedentary production systems using the case of Makame and Dofa villages in Kiteto and Karatu districts, respectively, to come up with reliable evidence based-data to rationalize the above claims. The study employed a quantitative design for the above objective to be met. The cost-benefit analysis framework was used to compare the costs and benefits of the mobile pastoral system and the sedentary one in the two villages. Primary data for the study were collected through a cross-sectional household survey in which 120 heads of households (60 from Makame and 60 from Dofa, respectively) were interviewed while the secondary data were obtained through literature reviews. The data analysis was done using SPSS version 20 and 2007 Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. The resulting information was presented in charts, tables, pictorials, graphs and contents description. The results show that the cost of maintaining a mobile pastoral production system is lower compared to that of the sedentary one. The cost benefits ratios are 1:0.5 for mobile pastoral production, while it is 1:0.25 for the sedentary production system. The benefits accrued from the mobile production system were also found to be higher. Net Present Values at a discount rate of 10% for a period of 10 years revealed the mobile pastoral production system to give more returns to those engaged in it at least four times that of the sedentary production system, but both exhibiting a positive signs. The study recommends that policies should be enacted to sustain pastoral production system by mitigating the impacts of droughts which has shown to be a big challenge that reduces the economic potential through high livestock mortality. The areas for further research that are recommended include to expand the analysis to include social benefits and costs as well as how much space is needed to sustain each production system. Since the study only employed the Cost-Benefit Analysis framework to achieve its objectives it is recommended that the robustness of other frameworks such as Total Economic Valuation, Participatory Economic Valuation and Social Cost-Benefit Analysis are tried. In addition, this study employed cross-sectional approach to data collection to draw its conclusions; it is recommended also that other designs such as longitudinal surveys are also tested.