Zike, Demissie Belayneh (2008) The Socio-Economic and Livelihood Impacts of Environmental Change and Local Responses: A Case Study on the Disappearance of Lake Haramaya in Haramaya District, Oromiya Region, Ethiopia. Masters thesis, Addis Ababa University.
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Abstract
The way human action reshape the environment pose a new cycle of mutual determination on the way people create and re-create their livelihood in line with the changes in their environment . This must be analyzed interms of changes not only in their ecology but also in the emerging new social dynamics. In line with this assertion, this study examines the socio-economic and livelihood impacts of the disappearance of Lake Haramaya on the surrounding rural households and the households’ responses to such environmental catastrophe. Thus, the basic data used for the analysis were generated from 159 sample households through interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive and bivariate methods of analysis were employed over time series data (i.e. 2005, 2006 and 2007). Besides, inter-group data comparison was used to demonstrate impacts as well as responses to such environmental shock. Result of the impact analysis revealed that the disappearance of the lake has resulted in the loss of direct utilities the households used to generate from the lake. These include loss of water for livestock feeding, water for domestic consumption, irrigation and recreation. Besides, two direct livelihood sources, fishing and ferry renting, were lost along with the lake. The indirect impacts of the dry-up of the lake were manifested in conflict over water use, decrease in size of land under irrigation, and thus decline in production of chat and vegetables which were mainly cultivated by irrigation. All these ultimately caused decrease in household’s income. Investigation into households’ response to water scarcity that was induced by the disappearance of the lake demonstrated that the main response to such shortfall was reclamation of underground water from previous bed of the lake. In addition, rain water harvesting is also a prevalent responsive measure among the households. However, as water table is continuously dropping and subsequent surge in the cost of digging water borehole, underground water is presently an option for those ‘resource rich’ households. On the other hand, this situation forced some households to use child labor which in turn resulted in school dropout. Examination of inter-household variation in the implementation of water reclamation practices as a response was sought by logistic regression model. The result revealed that age of household head, household size, literacy status, land size, access to credit service and household’s anticipation to dry-up of the lake have significant and positive influence on household’s application of water reclamation measures as response to the disappearance of the lake, whereas access to off-farm income and fertilizer use have significant and negative effect. On the basis of the empirical findings, institutional and policy intervention measures that are hoped to ease the pressure on the environment are recommended. These include enacting and implementing policy towards sustainable use of open access resources and controlling population size. Besides, institutional interventions which are geared towards enhancing agricultural production through promoting sound conservation measures were also recommended.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HM Sociology H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare |
| Divisions: | Africana |
| Depositing User: | Tim Khabala |
| Date Deposited: | 24 May 2018 14:14 |
| Last Modified: | 24 May 2018 14:14 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/4089 |
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