Villagers in the semi-arid but wildlife rich Mbire district of North eastern Zimbabwe live in chr... more Villagers in the semi-arid but wildlife rich Mbire district of North eastern Zimbabwe live in chronic poverty. Rain-fed agricultural production is low due to low and erratic rainfall coupled with shortages of inputs and markets. The low agricultural production, near pristine environment with a rich wildlife base makes wildlife utilisation the best landuse option. From this assumption it has therefore been pertinent to investigate households’ dependence on wild food resources as compared to other sources. Data were collected through meals, gathering and hunting monitoring. A sample of households was selected along an anthropogenic gradient from Mushumbi Pools to Angwa which is adjacent to wild land. For each household meals and gathering/hunting monitoring was conducted in the dry and post harvest season. Participatory Rural Appraisal methodology was also employed to get qualitative data on perceptions about wild food availability. In trying to understand dependence on wild food items several analyses were employed. These include one way ANOVA, correlations (bivariate), one sample and paired sample t tests to measure variations, associations and differences in the use of different wild food items by different categories of households. Results show that households along the gradient depend mostly on vegetative wild food (plant portions) while those located near forested areas have access to a wide variety of wild food including wild animal protein. Distance has a significant influence on the consumption of bushmeat and fish, while seasonality affects wild fruit availability and therefore consumption.
ABSTRACT Urban communities are heterogeneous and averages mask inequities and deprivations among ... more ABSTRACT Urban communities are heterogeneous and averages mask inequities and deprivations among poor and rich urban communities. This article examines the situation of households residing in two low-income, high-density suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwe. The aim of the research was to contextualise urban poverty by looking at selected urban communities and vertically analysing the patterns and determinants of poverty. A household survey was administered to 1000 households and qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The study found high levels of income poverty and also found differences in poverty experiences between the two suburbs. The major proximate determinants of poverty were large family size; low education level of the household head; lack of income from permanent employment; low cash transfers; and short length of residence in the suburb. Increasing household income consumption can be addressed through scaling-up industries, which would result in more quality employment.
The thesis investigates household economic and behavioural implications of public investments fun... more The thesis investigates household economic and behavioural implications of public investments funded by communal based wildlife management programmes, such as Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) in Zimbabwe. The thesis focuses on household education and adaptive capacity production. It further investigates determinants of programme stated preferences and behaviour thereof in communal areas of Zimbabwe, using the case of Dande communal area in Mbire district. Since its inception in the late 1980s, there has been debate over the adequacy of the implementation of the CAMPFIRE programme in effecting economic and behavioural change in the respective communities. However, most of the assessments focused on household financial gains, poverty reduction and inequality. Results show that little financial gains accrue to the respective households, with poverty and inequality remaining high. This thesis argues that the main development trajectory in communiti...
The prevalence and impacts of the illegal trade in bushmeat are under appreciated in Southern Afr... more The prevalence and impacts of the illegal trade in bushmeat are under appreciated in Southern Africa, despite indications that it constitutes a serious conservation threat in parts of the region. Bushmeat trade has emerged as a severe threat to wildlife conservation and the viability of wildlife-based land uses in Zimbabwe during a period of political instability and severe economic decline. We conducted a study around Savé Valley Conservancy in the South-East Lowveld of Zimbabwe to investigate the dynamics and underlying causes of the bushmeat trade, with the objective of developing solutions. We found that bushmeat hunting is conducted mainly by unemployed young men to generate cash income, used mostly to purchase food. Bushmeat is mainly sold to people with cash incomes in adjacent communal lands and population centres and is popular by virtue of its affordability and availability. Key drivers of the bushmeat trade in the South-East Lowveld include: poverty, unemployment and food...
Villagers in the semi-arid but wildlife rich Mbire district of North eastern Zimbabwe live in chr... more Villagers in the semi-arid but wildlife rich Mbire district of North eastern Zimbabwe live in chronic poverty. Rain-fed agricultural production is low due to low and erratic rainfall coupled with shortages of inputs and markets. The low agricultural production, near pristine environment with a rich wildlife base makes wildlife utilisation the best landuse option. From this assumption it has therefore been pertinent to investigate households’ dependence on wild food resources as compared to other sources. Data were collected through meals, gathering and hunting monitoring. A sample of households was selected along an anthropogenic gradient from Mushumbi Pools to Angwa which is adjacent to wild land. For each household meals and gathering/hunting monitoring was conducted in the dry and post harvest season. Participatory Rural Appraisal methodology was also employed to get qualitative data on perceptions about wild food availability. In trying to understand dependence on wild food items several analyses were employed. These include one way ANOVA, correlations (bivariate), one sample and paired sample t tests to measure variations, associations and differences in the use of different wild food items by different categories of households. Results show that households along the gradient depend mostly on vegetative wild food (plant portions) while those located near forested areas have access to a wide variety of wild food including wild animal protein. Distance has a significant influence on the consumption of bushmeat and fish, while seasonality affects wild fruit availability and therefore consumption.
ABSTRACT Urban communities are heterogeneous and averages mask inequities and deprivations among ... more ABSTRACT Urban communities are heterogeneous and averages mask inequities and deprivations among poor and rich urban communities. This article examines the situation of households residing in two low-income, high-density suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwe. The aim of the research was to contextualise urban poverty by looking at selected urban communities and vertically analysing the patterns and determinants of poverty. A household survey was administered to 1000 households and qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The study found high levels of income poverty and also found differences in poverty experiences between the two suburbs. The major proximate determinants of poverty were large family size; low education level of the household head; lack of income from permanent employment; low cash transfers; and short length of residence in the suburb. Increasing household income consumption can be addressed through scaling-up industries, which would result in more quality employment.
The thesis investigates household economic and behavioural implications of public investments fun... more The thesis investigates household economic and behavioural implications of public investments funded by communal based wildlife management programmes, such as Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) in Zimbabwe. The thesis focuses on household education and adaptive capacity production. It further investigates determinants of programme stated preferences and behaviour thereof in communal areas of Zimbabwe, using the case of Dande communal area in Mbire district. Since its inception in the late 1980s, there has been debate over the adequacy of the implementation of the CAMPFIRE programme in effecting economic and behavioural change in the respective communities. However, most of the assessments focused on household financial gains, poverty reduction and inequality. Results show that little financial gains accrue to the respective households, with poverty and inequality remaining high. This thesis argues that the main development trajectory in communiti...
The prevalence and impacts of the illegal trade in bushmeat are under appreciated in Southern Afr... more The prevalence and impacts of the illegal trade in bushmeat are under appreciated in Southern Africa, despite indications that it constitutes a serious conservation threat in parts of the region. Bushmeat trade has emerged as a severe threat to wildlife conservation and the viability of wildlife-based land uses in Zimbabwe during a period of political instability and severe economic decline. We conducted a study around Savé Valley Conservancy in the South-East Lowveld of Zimbabwe to investigate the dynamics and underlying causes of the bushmeat trade, with the objective of developing solutions. We found that bushmeat hunting is conducted mainly by unemployed young men to generate cash income, used mostly to purchase food. Bushmeat is mainly sold to people with cash incomes in adjacent communal lands and population centres and is popular by virtue of its affordability and availability. Key drivers of the bushmeat trade in the South-East Lowveld include: poverty, unemployment and food...
Uploads
Papers by collen matema