Economic value of agricultural land for community livelihoods within the context of REDD+ in Singida region:the case of villages adjacent to Mgori forest in Singida rural district
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Date
2013
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University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
There is a limited research on economic value of various land resources for community livelihoods and economy which is not clearly documented. This study assessed the economic values of agricultural land and forest resources and established their implications for community livelihoods within the context of REDD+. Case study villages were Mughunga and Pohama found adjacent to Mgori Forest in Singida Rural District. The methodologies used include market price valuation and productivity approach. The former method quantified the annual value of agricultural land using local prices and production quantities, while the later measured impacts of soil loss through declined productivity to obtain the cost of agricultural land degradation. Literature review, household survey (n=111), focus groups discussions (n=30), key informants (n=10), in-depth interviews (n=4) as well as field observations were also used for collection of both qualitative and quantitative data. Findings indicate that majority of the community in both villages (96.4%) depend on agriculture for their livelihood, followed by livestock keeping (90.1%). The total economic value of agricultural land was 35,871,750 and 49,259,382 Tsh per acre for Mughunga and Pohama villages respectively. The contribution from sunflower was the highest in both village followed by sorghum and maize crops. Forest products value was 5,773,710Tsh with firewood being the highest in both villages. On the other hand, the cost of agricultural land degradation was – 534,200Tsh per acre. Increased pressure on agricultural land caused by overpopulation and poor land management were revealed to be the main factor contributing to agricultural land degradation in the study area. The study therefore recommends on the need to scale up efforts towards conservation of agricultural land so as to ensure continued ability of this resource essential in supporting peoples’ livelihood in the study area, by communities, government as well as private entities. As well, crops with high value such as sunflower should highly be promoted.
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Keywords
Land use, Community development, Forest degradation, Singida rural district, Singida region, Mgori forest
Citation
Madalla, N.A (2013) Economic value of agricultural land for community livelihoods within the context of REDD+ in Singida region:the case of villages adjacent to Mgori forest in Singida rural district, Master dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam.