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.
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