Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Household Dependency On Forest In Masida Community Forest, Zambezi Region, Namibia

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of the drivers and effects of dependency on forest resources in Masida community forest in Zambezi region, Namibia. Specifically, the study assessed the livelihood strategies and contribution of forest resources to household incomes, assessed socio-economic determinants of households‟ dependency, determined extent and consequences of dependency and examined the people‟s perception on forest dependency. A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2018 to April 2019. For primary data collection, a semistructured questionnaire was administered to 185 randomly selected household heads for quantitative data, while qualitative data was collected using key informants‟ interviews and focus group discussion. Secondary data was obtained from office permit system. Multiple response analysis was used to summarise livelihood strategies and reasons for household dependence. Multiple comparisons using ANOVA analysed the contributions of various income sources to household income. Logistic regression model was used to determine the effect of household‟s socio-economic characteristics on forest dependence. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the extent and consequences of dependency, while people‟s perceptions were assessed using the Likert scale. The study revealed that farming, piecework and social grants are the livelihood strategies and the forest‟s natural ablution function, provision of free medicine, easy access of forest, cheap acquisition of forest resources, inability to pay for other alternatives and unemployment were motives influencing household forest dependency. The household socio-economic characteristics such as Age, Education of respondents and Hectares of land owned significantly influences forest dependency (P