ABSTRACT Livelihoods diversification towards off-farm employment is becoming a norm in rural areas of developing countries. It is, however, unclear as to whether diversification towards off-farm employment activities provides better welfare effects in terms of crop productivity and income shock insurance compared to economic specialization in own farm activities. Hence, this study was carried out to unveil the effect of off-farm employment on three dimensions of poverty considered as salien...
ABSTRACT A study was conducted to evaluate the profitability, efficiency and adoption of improved beehives and its implications on household income among beekeepers in western Tanzania. Specifically the study focused on; profitability analysis, comparing between beekeepers using traditional and improved beehives. The study also compare the economic efficiency among beekeepers using improved beehives; analysed the adoption and income poverty impacts of improved beekeeping technologies; and inv...
ABSTRACT Rift Valley fever (RVF) was first reported in Tanzania in 1930 and the last outbreak occurred in the country in 2006/07. Besides the long history of RVF in the country, little is known about its spatial and temporal epidemiology and habitat suitability for its occurrence. This study was conducted to determine potential risk factors and develop the country RVF risk map. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to examine the presence of antibodies specific to RVF virus (RVFV) in ser...
ABSTRACT There are numerous incidences of impoverishment and livelihood change in pastoral societies following transformation in land use and ownership and their livelihoods. Both in theory and practice, pastoral production has demonstrated flexibility in adapting to different risks. This study sought to investigate the changing livelihoods and adaptive capacity of the agro-pastoralists evicted from Ihefu Basin in Mbarali District, Tanzania. Specifically, the study sought to: (i) Examine the ...
ABSTRACT This study assesses the response of large scale-mining companies to the system of governance for improved local livelihoods in Tanzania. Specifically, the study analysed the policy enabling environment of the mining sector in Tanzania, examined compliance of large-scale mining companies with regulatory framework, explored community perception on mining companies’ practices towards enhancing environmental sustainability and assessed the contribution of mining companies to the local ...
ABSTRACT The teaching and learning process is incomplete when the teachers are not effectively taking part and are demotivated. Most education systems are faced with a motivation crisis which has a far reaching negative implication on learners. The rural schools experience a lot of challenges that affect learner performance through teacher dissatisfaction as the teacher is the center of instruction hence his/her satisfaction guarantee high performance. The study was carried out to find out th...
ABSTRACT The management of operational risk has become prominent following the large operational losses experienced by financial institutions in the past years. The research zeroed in on the operational risk management practices in microinsurance companies in Zimbabwe. The main objective of the research was to assess operational risk management strategies employed by the microinsurance companies and how the strategies can be effectively managed to curb the potential losses from occurring. The...
ABSTRACT Zimbabwe, if not the whole of Africa has continued to draw the attention of many associations due to the existential problems that hinder the promotion of sustainable development. The research bears in mind that a number of development agents and development organisations have made considerable efforts in order to promote sustainable development. However, they hardly succeeded to get rid of the challenges that hinder the holistic promotion of sustainable development because they unde...
ABSTRACT The post-Cold War period has been characterised by increased intra-state conflicts in most African states which have overstretched the United Nations‟ (UN) capacity to respond to all conflicts that occur in various regions across the globe. This has resulted in an observable relative decrease in the involvement of the UN in African internal conflicts and a subsequent increase in African regional organisations being involved in various conflict handling mechanisms within their respe...
ABSTRACT The study focuses on the shapes of buildings, decorative motifs and their cosmological underpinnings. The symbols are so engrained into a people‟s culture that when people see these symbols they do not get the messages infused on the symbols. The thrust of this study is to unpack the cosmogonies, worldview and philosophy of life embedded on the designs and decorative motifs executed on houses in Matobo district. The study is qualitative and relied on interviews, observations and pi...
ABSTRACT Despite various interventions geared at countering land degradation in the Uluguru Mountains, the problem has persisted.Institutions have an instrumental role in land management. However, the question of compatibility between formal and informal institutions and hence the effectiveness of the institutions in governing land management is yet to be adequately addressed. This study assessed how the interplay of formal and informal grassroots institutions determines their effectiveness i...
Abstract This research was an assessment of the challenges that have bedeviled the success of the opposition political parties in Zimbabwe since independence (1980). Despite looking at the general context of opposition political parties, much reference has been made to the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan R. Tsvangirai (MDC-T) that came into the political lime light in the year 1999. Theories played a pivotal role in articulating the challenges. Both qualitative and quantitat...
ABSTRACT Although Kyela District has high potential for rice production, which is done by almost every household, poverty is high as evidenced by 66% of households in the district being poor. The specific objectives of the study were to: assess rice marketing channels and the role of different marketing participants; analyze rice market structures; determine the performance of the rice marketing sub-system; compare well-being levels of rice farmers, traders and miller-traders; and find the li...
ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis was to enhance the understanding of the role of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in climate change adaptation through studying households adjacent and distant to Iyondo Forest Reserve (IFR) in Kilombero District, Tanzania. Apparently, Kilombero District is prone to diverse climatic stresses; and the role of NTFPs in the way that households adapt and achieve livelihood security in the face of climate stressors is neither well known nor documented. The study ai...
ABSTRACT This study examines the role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, particularly love potions (mupfuhwira) in upholding marriages in Zaka district. Marriage institution has been and is still under crisis because of economic and social factors and this has triggered high divorce rate in Zimbabwe, as a whole. The purpose of this study is to highlight how love potions are helpful in sustaining marriages. The research has revealed reasons why people utilize love potions, names and types of lov...