Influence of Tree Farming on Provisioning Ecosystem Services and Local Community Livelihoods in Mufindi District, Tanzania.

Mashauri, Vaileth (2020) Influence of Tree Farming on Provisioning Ecosystem Services and Local Community Livelihoods in Mufindi District, Tanzania. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

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Abstract

The study assessed the influence of tree farming on provisioning ecosystem services and community’s livelihoods in Mufindi District. It aimed at quantifying temporal and spatial changes of tree farming; assessing the influence of tree farming dynamics on provisioning ecosystem services; and determining the contribution of tree farming to community livelihoods in the study area. Primary data were collected using questionnaire administration and in-depth interviews. Secondary data were obtained from satellite image and documentary review. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the influence of tree farming dynamics on provisioning ecosystem services and their contribution to community livelihoods. Linear regression was used to analyze the factors that determine the size of tree farms owned by households. Change detection found that, young tree farms (1-5 years) had the lowest percent of change while mature open canopy tree farms had the highest percent of change. The linear regression model revealed that, the size of land owned by the household was the greatest factor that determine the size of the tree farm owned. Other factors of age, annual income, household size and education level were not statistically significant at p<0.01. Infrastructure and transportation problems limit farmers from farming trees. Ensuring good planning, education, access to modern tree farming inputs, loan and good governance are highly recommended for improving tree farming in the study area. The study concludes that tree farming is an important aspect of livelihood in Mufindi District which needs to be monitored and supported to sustain community well-being. Keywords: Tree farming, Local livelihood, Ecosystem & Ecosystem Services.

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