DETERMINANTS OF SELLING LIVESTOCK TO PAY WATERING CHARGES BY PASTORALISTS IN SEMI-ARID AREAS OF MONDULI DISTRICT, TANZANIA

Abstract

In semi-arid areas, the practice of selling livestock is crucial to support the livelihood of pastoralists and to pay for watering charges. However, it is not a widespread practice in developing countries such as Tanzania. This paper investigates why pastoralists in the semi-arid areas of Monduli District, Tanzania sell their livestock to pay for watering charges. The study used a cross-sectional research design and gathered primary data through a semi-structured questionnaire from 367 randomly selected pastoralist households. Furthermore, triangulation was achieved by using focus group discussions and conducting interviews with key informants. The data was analyzed using SPSS for both descriptive (frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (binary logistic regression model). The binary logistic regression model was used to examine the determinants of the practice of selling livestock to pay watering charges by pastoralists. Content analysis was utilized to analyze the qualitative data. The findings show that the level of education (p=0.015); hiring of a tractor water bowser (p=0.002) and access to extension services (p=0.002) at p<0.05 were positively significant determinants of selling livestock to pay watering charges for livestock by pastoralists. The study recommends that the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Departments, and Non-Governmental Organizations to work together to establish subsidies or financial assistance programmes for pastoralists in order to lower the cost of employing mechanized water delivery technologies such as tractor water bowser.