Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Sustainability of Dikes & Spillways
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Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Sustainability of Dikes & Spillways Constructed in the Rice Growing Ecologies of West Coast Region of The Gambia MSc THESIS BY: FAMARA TRAWALLY JUNE, 2015 i A Thesis on Sustainable Land Management submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Science in International Land and Water Management at Wageningen University, the Netherlands Study program: MSc International Land and Water Management (MIL) Student Registration Number: 700710841090 Supervisors: Dr. Ir Aad Kessler Dr Sidat Yaffa June, 2015 Wageningen University, Sustainable Land Management (SLM) Group ii DEDICATION This work is profoundly dedicated to my mother, Binta Kinteh, whose motherly love I very much cherish and adore. Also to my dear wife, Nyima Jarra Trawally and my daughters for firmly standing by me while undergoing my studies. iii ABSTRACT The Gambia has a land area of 11,000 km2 and it is located on the Atlantic Coast in West Africa (between latitudes 13o and 14o N and between longitudes 13o and 17o W), with an estimated population of 1.8 million inhabitants. Rice is the staple food of The Gambia and is grown mainly in lowland ecologies of the country but consumption exceeds production by about 50%. Because crop production in the country is primarily rain-fed subsistence farming, principal limiting factors in rice production are water supply and salt-water intrusion into swamp fields. Owing to its drive to narrow the import substitution gap and attain national food self- sufficiency through improved production and productivity of the staple rice crop, the Government of The Gambia has implemented series of Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) projects. One such project is the recently completed Gambia Lowland Development (GALDEP) Project which constructed water retention and anti-salt dikes and spillways for rice farmers in the West Coast Region of the country. This study was to determine socioeconomic factors influencing sustainability of these constructed dikes and spillways. The study explored the socio-economic factors by investigating the socio-demographic, community participation, and social capital factors affecting sustainability of the constructed dikes and spillways. Paddy rice output comparison was also conducted to study the production dynamics. The basic concepts and theoretical foundations of the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) was adapted The study, made up of a sample size of 90 farmers within 6 villages, was carried out in 5 Districts (Kombo East, Foni Berefet, Foni Bintang, Foni Bondali and Foni Jarrol) of West Coast Region of The Gambia. Data was collected through survey and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and a descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model (logit) were employed for the analysis. Main study findings revealed that at 5% significant level, four socio-economic factors are statistically significant in influencing the sustainability of constructed dikes and spillways and these are individual perception on dike ownership, availability of financial resources, and availability of set rules/bylaws governing the upkeep of the constructed dikes and spillways as well as gender participation. However, 3 factors (perception on dike ownership, financial iv resources and rules/bylaws) have positive influence on sustainability given the coefficient values of 1.594, 1.416, and 1.532 respectively while gender participation shows a negative coefficient (-2. 259) on sustainability of the constructed dikes and spillways. The average paddy rice output realized by farmers is 1198 kg as compared to 913.79kg before the construction of the dikes and spillways. This difference between the two phases is statistically significantly at 1 % significant level. The results also indicated a significant difference at 5% significant level for cultivated area before (1.12ha) and after (1.30ha) dike and spillway construction. The major conclusion from the study was that the constructed dikes and spillways are productive and can contribute positively to the food self-sufficiency drive of the government of The Gambia. However, it is recommended that local institutions at community levels be strengthened both technically and financially so that their full ownership of the dikes and spillways is further enhanced to foster greater sustainability. Gender mainstreaming is also important so that both genders (males and females) participate in the management of the constructed dikes and spillways. Keywords: Sustainability, Socio-economic, Dike, Spillway, Community Participation, Social Capital v ACKNOWLEDGMENT Thanks and glory be to The Most High God for granting me His priceless life and good health to be able to come to the successful completion of this project. My sincere thanks and appreciation also go to all those who in one way or the other have whole heartedly contributed to the successful quality of the work. Special mention is made of my Major Supervisor at Wageningen University SLM Group, Dr. Ir Aad Kessler for his constructive criticisms, encouragement, valuable advice, tolerance, and keen interest in my Thesis work. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Sidat Yaffa (My Thesis Co-Supervisor) and Mr. Mamma Sawaneh (Lecturer), both staff at University of The Gambia (UTG) for accepting to host and supervise my Thesis research work at UTG. Thanks to the Ministry of Agriculture staff of The Gambia and other people for providing support during my data collection. I finally extend my gratitude to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through the Ministry of Agriculture of The Gambia for providing me the opportunity for a scholarship to pursue this Master’s Degree program. vi TABLE OF CONTENT DEDICATION iii ABSTRACT iv ACKNOWLEDGMENT vi TABLE OF CONTENT vii LIST OF TABLES ix LIST OF FIGURES x ACRONYMS xi CHAPTER 1 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1.0 SPQR Overview 1 1.1.1 Situation 1 1.1.2 Problem 1 1.1.3 Research Questions 3 1.1.4 Response 3 1.2 Background Information 4 1.2.1 Overview of Rice Production in The Gambia 5 1.2.2 Soil Resource Conservation Projects in The Gambia 7 1.3 Main Purpose/Objectives 9 1.3.1 Specific Objectives 9 1.4 Research Hypothesis 9 1.5 Justification of the Study 10 CHAPTER 2 11 LITERATURE REVIEW 11 2.1 Introduction 11 2.2 Basic Concepts and Theoretical Foundations of SCOT 11 2.2.1 Sustainability/Longevity 12 2.2.2 Community Participation and Social Capital 13 CHAPTER 3 16 METHODOLOGY 16 vii 3.1 Introduction 16 3.2 Conceptual Framework 16 3.3 Data Requirements 17 3.4 Sampling Techniques 19 3.5 Data Collection 20 3.6 Analytical Tools 20 3.6.1 Descriptive Analysis 20 3.6.2 The Binary Logistic Regression Model 20 CHAPTER 4 25 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 25 4.1 Descriptive Statistics 25 4.1.1 Socio Demographic Characteristics of the Farmers in the Study Area 25 4.1.2 Community Participation, Social Capital and Management of the Constructed Dikes and Spillways 27 4.1.3 Rice Production Status in the Study Area 29 4.2. Logistic Regression 31 4.2.1 Socio- Economic Factors Influencing Sustainability of Constructed Dikes and Spill Ways 31 4.2.2 Social Capital and Community Participation Factors Influencing Sustainability of Constructed Dikes and Spillways. 34 4.2.3 Dynamics of Paddy Production within the Study Area 36 CHAPTER 5 38 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 38 5.1 Conclusion 38 5.2 Recommendations 39 5.3 Areas for Further Study 39 REFERENCES 40 APPENDICES 43 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Data analysis matrix ………………………………………………………………..18 Table 2: Definition of independent and Explanatory Variables used in the logistic regression model…………………………………………………………………………………………23 Table 3: Socio demographic characteristics of the farmers………………………………….26 Table 4: Community Participation, Social Capital and Management of the Constructed Dikes and Spillways………………………………………………………………………………...28 Table 5: Rice Production status in The Study Area………………………………………….30 Table 6: Socio- Economic Factors Influencing Sustainability of Constructed Dikes and Spill Ways………………………………………………………………………………………….33 Table 7: Social capital and community participation factors influencing sustainability of constructed dikes and spillways…………………………………………………………..….36 Table 8: Comparison of Paddy Production and cultivated area before and After Dike Construction………………………………………………………………………………….37 ix LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1 Map of The Gambia………………………………………………………………….....4 Fig 2: Conceptual framework (Adapted from Bijker, 1992)……………………………...….17 Fig 3: Framework of data collection and analysis steps……………………………………...19 x ACRONYMS ADB African Development Bank ANR Agriculture and Natural Resource ECOWAS The Economic Community of West African States FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation FGD Focus Group Discussion GALDEP Gambia Lowland Development Project GNAIP Gambia National Agricultural Investment Plan GTZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Agency for Technical Cooperation) LADEP Lowland Agricultural Development Programme MRQ Main Research Questions Nema National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project NEPAD New Partnership for Agricultural Development PAD Project Appraisal Document PCR Project Completion Report PIWAMP Participatory Integrated Watershed Management Project RAIP Regional Agricultural Investment Program SCOT Social Construction of Technology SLM Sustainable Land Management SPQR Situation, Problem, Question and Response SWCP Soil and Water Conservation Project SWMP Soil and Water Management Project USAID United States Agency for International Development xi CHAPTER