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The impact of participating in the biodiversity economy on household food security : a Gonarezhou National Park Communities’ case study

Mini Dissertation (MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2024.

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Other Authors: Ntuli, Herbert
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2024
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Ntuli, Herbert
author_browse Ntuli, Herbert
author_facet Ntuli, Herbert
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Mini Dissertation (MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2024.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
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provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2024
publishDateRange 2024
publishDateSort 2024
publisher University of Pretoria
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spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/98830 The impact of participating in the biodiversity economy on household food security : a Gonarezhou National Park Communities’ case study Ntuli, Herbert mwansa.mwansa124@gmail.com Fitawek, Wegayehu Mwansa, Mwansa UCTD Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Gonarezhou National Park Propensity Score Matching Zimbabwe Biodiversity economy Food security Mini Dissertation (MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2024. Biodiversity conservation initiatives are often hailed as essential for safeguarding natural resources, yet they frequently come at the expense of communities reliant on these ecosystems for sustenance. Literature extensively documents the displacement of local populations to make way for protected areas, perpetuating poverty and social discord among the affected communities. Responding to these concerns, policymakers have increasingly turned to community-based natural resource management programmes, epitomised by initiatives like transfrontier conservation areas. Among these, the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA) stands as a prime example, spanning South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique since its establishment in 2002. Despite its inception, scant attention has been given to examining the impact of the TFCA on household-level food security. This study delved into the impact of the biodiversity economy within the Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) on local household food security. The study used descriptive statistics to characterise the households in the study communities, calculated five food security indicators to gain an understanding of the food security situation and employed the propensity score matching technique to conduct an impact analysis. The key findings of the study indicate that the communities are a patriarchal society with an average household head age of 50 years old. Their main livelihoods include agriculture, cross-border trade and casual labour including work in the biodiversity economy. The food security situation is poor, most households face food shortages during the agricultural lean season, lack productive assets, consume less than five of twelve food groups and engage in at least three harmful coping strategies to cope with insufficient food supply. Moreover, it is not surprising that the study found no direct impact of the park's existence on local communities' food security, as evidenced by statistically insignificant Average Treatment Effects on the Treated (ATT). This suggests that the park has fallen short of its intended goal of promoting local development. Possible explanations for this shortfall range from the park's limited success in attracting tourists and generating local economic opportunities to external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To bolster the park's performance and enhance its socioeconomic impact, policymakers must adopt a multifaceted approach. This could entail bolstering social protection policies, supporting agricultural livelihoods, and fostering tourism-based economic opportunities within the park's vicinity. By addressing these underlying challenges, policymakers can strive towards achieving the dual objectives of biodiversity conservation and sustainable local development within protected areas like the GNP. African Economic Research Consortium Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development MSc Agric (Agricultural Economics) Unrestricted Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences SDG-02: Zero Hunger 2024-10-30T07:21:33Z 2024-10-30T07:21:33Z 2025-04-05 2024-10-28 Mini Dissertation * A2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/98830 https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.27308778.v1 en © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Gonarezhou National Park
Propensity Score Matching
Zimbabwe
Biodiversity economy
Food security
The impact of participating in the biodiversity economy on household food security : a Gonarezhou National Park Communities’ case study
title The impact of participating in the biodiversity economy on household food security : a Gonarezhou National Park Communities’ case study
title_full The impact of participating in the biodiversity economy on household food security : a Gonarezhou National Park Communities’ case study
title_fullStr The impact of participating in the biodiversity economy on household food security : a Gonarezhou National Park Communities’ case study
title_full_unstemmed The impact of participating in the biodiversity economy on household food security : a Gonarezhou National Park Communities’ case study
title_short The impact of participating in the biodiversity economy on household food security : a Gonarezhou National Park Communities’ case study
title_sort impact of participating in the biodiversity economy on household food security a gonarezhou national park communities case study
topic UCTD
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Gonarezhou National Park
Propensity Score Matching
Zimbabwe
Biodiversity economy
Food security
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/98830
https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.27308778.v1