Population growth and land degradation: a case study of areas around Babati

Abstract

This study concerns an investigation into land degradation in areas around lake Babati in Arusha region. The study examines, analyses and characterized the nature, extent, causes and impact of land degradation. The study considers population growth and socio-economic aspects in understanding the factors that enhance land degradation. The findings showed that the study area exhibited high population growth rate of about 3.8 % per annum and annual immigration of 400 people. The mean household sizes is seven (7) people. This rapid growth of population has resulted into land degradation in the area in the form of deforestation, soil erosion, loss of fertility, water shortages and widespread of overgrazing. Population growth has resulted into the fragmentation of land holdings. Land has been sub-divided into smaller plots, in which majority (72.1%) being less than 1.5 acres. Such small holdings suggest that land is scarce. The majority (77.80%) of the households confirmed this land degradation. Population growth has also been responsible for deforestation. The increased number of people need land to earn their livelihood. Extensive deforestation has taken place leaving no significant forest in the area. Thus only 7% of the total district area is still forested, the rest of the land being put under cultivation. Marginal areas particularly mountain slopes and flood plains have also been put under cultivation, thus aggravating the problem of land degradation. According to the local people, the reasons for this state of affairs include bad distribution of lands, inequatable land tenure systems, inefficient agricultural technilogies, and insufficient political attention to subsistence farming. The shortage of fuelwood supply is another serious effect brought by rapid population growth in the study area. Fuelwood and charcoal account for greater part of energy supplies. The deficit of fuelwood is signified by the ever increasing distances to the sources. The majority (70%) of the women obtain fuelwood between 2 and 4 km. from their homesteads. This means women spend most of their economic time collecting wood. Also there is continuous encroachment of cultivation into grazing areas. Livestock are therefore confined to small areas, where they exert increased pressure on the scarce land resources. The ultimate result is land degradation in the form of loss of palatable fodder species, soil erosion and loss of livestock. Water shortages is another indicator of land degradation in the study area and Babati district as a whole. About 60% of the interviewed people fetch their water from distances of up to 3 km and mainly from shallow wells and rivers.