The role of wetland products to household income and food security in Mvomero district, Tanzania

A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Mvomero district using a randomly selected sample of 112 households participating in wetland and non-wetland activities. Three villages were purposively selected in the area whereby interviews were conducted using questionnaire and PRA tools. Specific objectives were to assess the contribution of wetland products to total household cash income, assess the contribution of wetland products to household food security and to determine the socio-economic factors influencing farmers’ accessibility to wetland resources. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics whereby correlation and t-test were deployed. The results indicated that the contribution of wetland products to total household cash income was 69% compared with other sources that accounted for only 31%. The study showed that the main types of foods produced in wetlands in Mvomero district were cereals such as rice and maize, sweet potatoes and yams, vegetables and fruits. Similarly, the study showed that the mean amounts of foods per household per year from wetlands was higher than that of non-wetlands. Cereals and vegetables recorded the highest amounts of 1 461.72 kg and 345.84 kg respectively in wetland while in non-wetland it was only 809.72 kg cereals and 15.31 kg for vegetables. Moreover, results revealed that majority of the farmers in the district depended on foods produced in wetlands in sustaining their livelihoods throughtout a year. Socio-economic factors that influenced farmer’s accessibility to wetland resources were income and age. Respondents with relatively high income had more access to wetland resources than those with lower income. Also, the older individuals had more access than the younger. Therefore, wetlands are important contributors to household income and food security. In order to increase the productivity of the wetlands, it is recommended that local authorities in collaboration with farmers andiii other stakeholders need to establish a fair means of water distribution amongst farmers particularly in the months of September and October. Formation of a water users’ association may be an important approach towards achieving that goal. Further studies are recommended to examine on poor involvement of educated farmers on wetland cultivation (access) despite the fact that wetlands significantly contribute to household’s income and food security