This paper investigates whether the risk faced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe could poten-tially be... more This paper investigates whether the risk faced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe could poten-tially be managed by using community-based wildlife conservation. Community-based wildlife conservation could be an additional asset in the rural farmers investment portfolio thereby potentially diversifying and consequently reducing the risk they face. Such investment could also help e¤orts to conserve wildlife. By making use of national historical data and statistical analysis, this paper nds that community-based wildlife conservation is a feasible hedge asset for agricultural production in rural Zimbabwe. The bene ts of diversi cation into community-based wildlife conservation are likely to be high only in those rural areas that can sustain wildlife pop-ulations su¢cient to generate adequate returns from wildlife activities such as tourism, trophy hunting, live animal sales and meat cropping. JEL Classi cation: D81, G11, Q29
In an effort to increase smallholder participation in commodity markets, the World Food Program (... more In an effort to increase smallholder participation in commodity markets, the World Food Program (WFP) recently implemented five-year Purchase for Progress (P4P) pilot projects in 20 countries. The projects involved investing in physical and human capacities of Farmer Organizations (FOs) to aggregate commodities and add value as well as locally purchasing food aid from the same, the combination of which provided smallholders with value-added forward markets for their staple crop. In this study, using the Ethiopian survey data, we estimated a causal income and distributive effects of the Ethiopian P4P intervention among smallholders. Using a semi-parametric difference-in-difference (DID) model, which relaxes the parallel trend assumption, we show that the P4P intervention has raised per capita consumption of smallholders. Estimates of the treatment effect from alternative specifications of our preferred models ranged between Ethiopian Birr (ETB) 188.3 and ETB 248.6 (15.10% and 19.93%)...
This paper starts from the now widely-held premise that biodiversity conservation ought to take p... more This paper starts from the now widely-held premise that biodiversity conservation ought to take place both inside and outside protected areas if biodiversity targets are to be met. Given the potential inter-linkages of areas inside and outside protected areas in ecosystems, the ultimate structure of biodiversity conservation should be bioregional landscape management. A framework for studying the factors affecting biodiversity conservation in bioregions is suggested. While many factors might affect biodiversity conservation, the use of economic incentives is argued to be potentially one of the most effective mechanisms for mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in bioregions. Institutions are singled out as one important class of socio-economic arrangements directly associated with economic incentives. Institutions are thus likely to be a major determinant of the vulnerability or success of biodiversity conservation. The paper uses South African examples, and concludes by outlining...
This paper investigates whether the risk faced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe could potentially be ... more This paper investigates whether the risk faced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe could potentially be managed by using community-based wildlife conservation. Community-based wildlife conservation could be an additional asset in the rural farmers. investment portfolio thereby potentially diversifying and consequently reducing the risk they face. Such investment could also help efforts to conserve wildlife. By making use of national historical data and statistical analysis, this paper finds that community-based wildlife conservation is a feasible hedge asset for agricultural production in rural Zimbabwe. The benefits of diversification into community-based wildlife conservation are likely to be high only in those rural areas that can sustain wildlife populations sufficient to generate adequate returns from wildlife activities such as tourism, trophy hunting, live animal sales and meat cropping
In this paper, we explored the role of wildlife in adaptation to climate change in areas predomin... more In this paper, we explored the role of wildlife in adaptation to climate change in areas predominantly used for livestock production in South Africa. Using a sample of 1071 wildlife and livestock farms we estimated a multinomial choice model of various adaptation options including livestock and wildlife farming choices. The results indicate that mixed livestock-wildlife farms are less vulnerable to climate change when compared to specialized livestock or wildlife farms. However, net farm revenues per hactare are higher for specialized wildlife ranches when compared to mixed wildlife-livestock ranches or livestock ranches. The results further show that temperature increase will influence most livestock farmers to change land use to wildlife ranching. At farm level, land size and social networks are also likely to play a bigger role in land use change as climate changes. Using climate models, we establish that livestock farmers in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa will be most aff...
Existing literature have rarely evaluated distributive effect of Joint Forest Management (JFM) au... more Existing literature have rarely evaluated distributive effect of Joint Forest Management (JFM) augmented with improved market linkages for non-timber forest products nor have they accounted for heterogeneity in the welfare effects. We assess the distributional impact of a unique JFM in Ethiopia in which additional support for improved market linkages for non-timber forest products was provided. The analysis is based on matching and instrumental variable (IV) methods of quantile treatment effects (QTE) evaluation using household data from selected rural villages of Gimbo district, in southwest Ethiopia. The results confirm that the intervention affect outcomes heterogeneously across the welfare distribution. Specifically, the program was found to raise welfare for only those along upper half (median and above) of welfare distribution. Thus, we infer that the program is not pro-poor, and, therefore, is not equity enhancing. Our analysis also revealed that such distributional bias of t...
Wildlife ranching is emerging as a new frontier for wildlife conservation and alternative land us... more Wildlife ranching is emerging as a new frontier for wildlife conservation and alternative land use to agriculture in Southern Africa marginal areas. But wildlife sector also faces climate related challenges. In this study, we investigated the effects of climate change on the revenues of wildlife ranchers in South Africa. This paper applied a median Ricardian modelling on net farm revenues using a sample of 506 wildlife ranches drawn from the latest version (2007) of Census of Commercial Agriculture data for South Africa. In order to predict the impact of climate change in future, the paper used three Atmospheric-Oceanic Global Circulation, which includes CSIRO2, Parallel Circulation Model, and Hadley Centre Coupled model, which have been used for South African agriculture modelling. The study confirms that current climate affects the net revenues of wildlife ranches across South Africa especially in cases where small scale wildlife ranches are involved. For example towards 2050, cli...
The threat that uncertainty creates incentives for accelerated rates of use of environmental reso... more The threat that uncertainty creates incentives for accelerated rates of use of environmental resources creates the need for institutions that constrain human actions. Ultimately, economic development depends on institutions that can protect and maintain the environment’s carrying capacity and resilience. Zimbabwe faces an increasing incidence of poverty with the poorest areas being wildlife-abundant rural districts where the sustainable use of the wildlife and other natural resources could greatly reduce rural poverty. CAMPFIRE is a framework to conserve wildlife and fight poverty by giving rural communities, through their rural districts councils, the authority to manage and use local resources, particularly wildlife, to derive economic benefits. Despite the significant gains that CAMPFIRE has recorded, literature indicates that the current low levels of monetary benefit and local participation, among other problems, have not been significant in alleviating poverty. With reforms, C...
This paper uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration to estimate t... more This paper uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration to estimate the coefficients of the determinants of international tourism demand for Zimbabwe for the period 1998 to 2005. The results show that taste formation, transport costs, changes in global income and certain specific events have a significant impact on international tourism demand. This implies that the improvement of international tourism infrastructure (in order to reduce travel costs and enhance the quality of services to tourists) so as to reinforce taste formation are important for attracting more international tourists to Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the authorities can potentially increase international tourism demand for the country by promoting pleasant events in the country.
Th e South African wine industry has recently launched the world’s fi rst ‘no sulphite added’ win... more Th e South African wine industry has recently launched the world’s fi rst ‘no sulphite added’ wine made from indigenous Rooibos & Honeybush toasted wood chips. Th is wood chip contains antioxidant properties known to protect wine from oxidation. On the other hand, SO2 as a preservative, is oft en perceived by wine consumers as causing headaches and migraines. Diff erentiated wines based on their SO2 content may be a profi table marketing avenue for the struggling industry. We interviewed more than 600 wine consumers to investigate their perceptions of wine preservatives and preference for several wine attributes. Specifi cally, we use discrete choice experiments to elicit willingness to pay for the innovative alternative based on Rooibos & Honeybush wood chips. In addition to wine preservatives, we also examine consumers’ preferences for organic wine attributes and wine quality measured by a 100-point quality score and cost. Based on the results from the mixed logit model, we fi nd ...
Water is a complex economic good. It requires optimal management to control rising scarcity and c... more Water is a complex economic good. It requires optimal management to control rising scarcity and competition for use. South Africa like many other parts of the world is in the process of implementing market based water policy reforms to attain equity, efficiency, and sustainability in water use. However, these reforms have not been entirely successful and water allocation problems persist, while their economic evaluation is lacking. The current study assessed the effects of water policy on irrigation water use efficiency and quality in the Olifants basin of South Africa. The study uses Data Envelopment Analysis and regression technique approaches to ascertain the effects of water policy on water use efficiency and quality.Results from the Data Envelopment Analysis show that the average water use efficiency for irrigation water users was as low as 31 percent. Among the policy factors of interest, compulsory licensing significantly influenced water use efficiency. Water pricing, compul...
This study seeks to value ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area by applying the Choice Experim... more This study seeks to value ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area by applying the Choice Experiment technique. The values placed on dryland ecosystem services by indigenous communities are estimated using a Conditional Logit model, Random Parameter Logit model and a Random Parameter Logit model with interactions. The results show that local communities would prefer getting increased grazing firewood collection, hunting opportunities and harvesting of medicinal plants.
The economic importance of the dryland ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area is generally unkn... more The economic importance of the dryland ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area is generally unknown, as is the distribution of benefits from use of the ecosystem services. This study seeks to value ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area by applying the Choice Experiment technique and thereafter assess the potential for ecosystem services to contribute to the Khomani San livelihoods through a payment for ecosystem services (PES) scheme. The values placed on dryland ecosystem services by tourists are estimated using a Conditional Logit model, Random Parameter Logit model and a Random Parameter Logit model with interactions. The park visitors prefer getting more pristine recreational opportunities, increased chances of seeing predators and show disapproval of granting more access inside the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to local communities. This scenario shows that there is a possibility to craft a PES scheme where park visitors could compensate the local communities to accept a res...
This paper estimates the visitation demand function for Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) in ord... more This paper estimates the visitation demand function for Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) in order to determine the conservation fee to charge South African residents to maximise park revenue. We conducted contingent behavior experiments at KTP and three other national parks, which we assume are either substitutes or complements for visitors to KTP. Our random effects Tobit model shows that there is a wide variation in the own-price elasticities of demand between the parks but they are generally not elastic. The cross-price estimates indicate that there is limited substitutability in visitation demand among the four parks. The study uses the unitary elasticity rule to demonstrate that there is a possibility of raising conservation fees to revenue-maximising levels at KTP as well as the other parks, using methods such as a mandatory conservation fee increment or a community-bound voluntary donation above the regular conservation fee. Sharing conservation revenue with communities sur...
Handbook of Research on Inequities in Online Education During Global Crises
The impact of inequality and technology on access to online education has received tremendous att... more The impact of inequality and technology on access to online education has received tremendous attention within the past two decades from researchers across the globe. What remains under-researched is the knowledge of how shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic affect access to online education. The main objective of the study was to examine inequality in accessing online education in the context of a crisis in a developing region. A mixed-method approach was used to collect and analyze online survey data based on 393 undergraduate students from six countries in Southern Africa. Both observable and hidden inequality sources such as income and participation in household chores compromise the quality of online education. A shift from face-to-face teaching to online education is likely to result in learning difficulties and deterioration in the quality of education. Policies such as the provision of free data improve the learning experience by reducing inequality. Therefore, decision-maker...
This paper investigates whether the risk faced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe could poten-tially be... more This paper investigates whether the risk faced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe could poten-tially be managed by using community-based wildlife conservation. Community-based wildlife conservation could be an additional asset in the rural farmers investment portfolio thereby potentially diversifying and consequently reducing the risk they face. Such investment could also help e¤orts to conserve wildlife. By making use of national historical data and statistical analysis, this paper nds that community-based wildlife conservation is a feasible hedge asset for agricultural production in rural Zimbabwe. The bene ts of diversi cation into community-based wildlife conservation are likely to be high only in those rural areas that can sustain wildlife pop-ulations su¢cient to generate adequate returns from wildlife activities such as tourism, trophy hunting, live animal sales and meat cropping. JEL Classi cation: D81, G11, Q29
In an effort to increase smallholder participation in commodity markets, the World Food Program (... more In an effort to increase smallholder participation in commodity markets, the World Food Program (WFP) recently implemented five-year Purchase for Progress (P4P) pilot projects in 20 countries. The projects involved investing in physical and human capacities of Farmer Organizations (FOs) to aggregate commodities and add value as well as locally purchasing food aid from the same, the combination of which provided smallholders with value-added forward markets for their staple crop. In this study, using the Ethiopian survey data, we estimated a causal income and distributive effects of the Ethiopian P4P intervention among smallholders. Using a semi-parametric difference-in-difference (DID) model, which relaxes the parallel trend assumption, we show that the P4P intervention has raised per capita consumption of smallholders. Estimates of the treatment effect from alternative specifications of our preferred models ranged between Ethiopian Birr (ETB) 188.3 and ETB 248.6 (15.10% and 19.93%)...
This paper starts from the now widely-held premise that biodiversity conservation ought to take p... more This paper starts from the now widely-held premise that biodiversity conservation ought to take place both inside and outside protected areas if biodiversity targets are to be met. Given the potential inter-linkages of areas inside and outside protected areas in ecosystems, the ultimate structure of biodiversity conservation should be bioregional landscape management. A framework for studying the factors affecting biodiversity conservation in bioregions is suggested. While many factors might affect biodiversity conservation, the use of economic incentives is argued to be potentially one of the most effective mechanisms for mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in bioregions. Institutions are singled out as one important class of socio-economic arrangements directly associated with economic incentives. Institutions are thus likely to be a major determinant of the vulnerability or success of biodiversity conservation. The paper uses South African examples, and concludes by outlining...
This paper investigates whether the risk faced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe could potentially be ... more This paper investigates whether the risk faced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe could potentially be managed by using community-based wildlife conservation. Community-based wildlife conservation could be an additional asset in the rural farmers. investment portfolio thereby potentially diversifying and consequently reducing the risk they face. Such investment could also help efforts to conserve wildlife. By making use of national historical data and statistical analysis, this paper finds that community-based wildlife conservation is a feasible hedge asset for agricultural production in rural Zimbabwe. The benefits of diversification into community-based wildlife conservation are likely to be high only in those rural areas that can sustain wildlife populations sufficient to generate adequate returns from wildlife activities such as tourism, trophy hunting, live animal sales and meat cropping
In this paper, we explored the role of wildlife in adaptation to climate change in areas predomin... more In this paper, we explored the role of wildlife in adaptation to climate change in areas predominantly used for livestock production in South Africa. Using a sample of 1071 wildlife and livestock farms we estimated a multinomial choice model of various adaptation options including livestock and wildlife farming choices. The results indicate that mixed livestock-wildlife farms are less vulnerable to climate change when compared to specialized livestock or wildlife farms. However, net farm revenues per hactare are higher for specialized wildlife ranches when compared to mixed wildlife-livestock ranches or livestock ranches. The results further show that temperature increase will influence most livestock farmers to change land use to wildlife ranching. At farm level, land size and social networks are also likely to play a bigger role in land use change as climate changes. Using climate models, we establish that livestock farmers in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa will be most aff...
Existing literature have rarely evaluated distributive effect of Joint Forest Management (JFM) au... more Existing literature have rarely evaluated distributive effect of Joint Forest Management (JFM) augmented with improved market linkages for non-timber forest products nor have they accounted for heterogeneity in the welfare effects. We assess the distributional impact of a unique JFM in Ethiopia in which additional support for improved market linkages for non-timber forest products was provided. The analysis is based on matching and instrumental variable (IV) methods of quantile treatment effects (QTE) evaluation using household data from selected rural villages of Gimbo district, in southwest Ethiopia. The results confirm that the intervention affect outcomes heterogeneously across the welfare distribution. Specifically, the program was found to raise welfare for only those along upper half (median and above) of welfare distribution. Thus, we infer that the program is not pro-poor, and, therefore, is not equity enhancing. Our analysis also revealed that such distributional bias of t...
Wildlife ranching is emerging as a new frontier for wildlife conservation and alternative land us... more Wildlife ranching is emerging as a new frontier for wildlife conservation and alternative land use to agriculture in Southern Africa marginal areas. But wildlife sector also faces climate related challenges. In this study, we investigated the effects of climate change on the revenues of wildlife ranchers in South Africa. This paper applied a median Ricardian modelling on net farm revenues using a sample of 506 wildlife ranches drawn from the latest version (2007) of Census of Commercial Agriculture data for South Africa. In order to predict the impact of climate change in future, the paper used three Atmospheric-Oceanic Global Circulation, which includes CSIRO2, Parallel Circulation Model, and Hadley Centre Coupled model, which have been used for South African agriculture modelling. The study confirms that current climate affects the net revenues of wildlife ranches across South Africa especially in cases where small scale wildlife ranches are involved. For example towards 2050, cli...
The threat that uncertainty creates incentives for accelerated rates of use of environmental reso... more The threat that uncertainty creates incentives for accelerated rates of use of environmental resources creates the need for institutions that constrain human actions. Ultimately, economic development depends on institutions that can protect and maintain the environment’s carrying capacity and resilience. Zimbabwe faces an increasing incidence of poverty with the poorest areas being wildlife-abundant rural districts where the sustainable use of the wildlife and other natural resources could greatly reduce rural poverty. CAMPFIRE is a framework to conserve wildlife and fight poverty by giving rural communities, through their rural districts councils, the authority to manage and use local resources, particularly wildlife, to derive economic benefits. Despite the significant gains that CAMPFIRE has recorded, literature indicates that the current low levels of monetary benefit and local participation, among other problems, have not been significant in alleviating poverty. With reforms, C...
This paper uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration to estimate t... more This paper uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration to estimate the coefficients of the determinants of international tourism demand for Zimbabwe for the period 1998 to 2005. The results show that taste formation, transport costs, changes in global income and certain specific events have a significant impact on international tourism demand. This implies that the improvement of international tourism infrastructure (in order to reduce travel costs and enhance the quality of services to tourists) so as to reinforce taste formation are important for attracting more international tourists to Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the authorities can potentially increase international tourism demand for the country by promoting pleasant events in the country.
Th e South African wine industry has recently launched the world’s fi rst ‘no sulphite added’ win... more Th e South African wine industry has recently launched the world’s fi rst ‘no sulphite added’ wine made from indigenous Rooibos & Honeybush toasted wood chips. Th is wood chip contains antioxidant properties known to protect wine from oxidation. On the other hand, SO2 as a preservative, is oft en perceived by wine consumers as causing headaches and migraines. Diff erentiated wines based on their SO2 content may be a profi table marketing avenue for the struggling industry. We interviewed more than 600 wine consumers to investigate their perceptions of wine preservatives and preference for several wine attributes. Specifi cally, we use discrete choice experiments to elicit willingness to pay for the innovative alternative based on Rooibos & Honeybush wood chips. In addition to wine preservatives, we also examine consumers’ preferences for organic wine attributes and wine quality measured by a 100-point quality score and cost. Based on the results from the mixed logit model, we fi nd ...
Water is a complex economic good. It requires optimal management to control rising scarcity and c... more Water is a complex economic good. It requires optimal management to control rising scarcity and competition for use. South Africa like many other parts of the world is in the process of implementing market based water policy reforms to attain equity, efficiency, and sustainability in water use. However, these reforms have not been entirely successful and water allocation problems persist, while their economic evaluation is lacking. The current study assessed the effects of water policy on irrigation water use efficiency and quality in the Olifants basin of South Africa. The study uses Data Envelopment Analysis and regression technique approaches to ascertain the effects of water policy on water use efficiency and quality.Results from the Data Envelopment Analysis show that the average water use efficiency for irrigation water users was as low as 31 percent. Among the policy factors of interest, compulsory licensing significantly influenced water use efficiency. Water pricing, compul...
This study seeks to value ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area by applying the Choice Experim... more This study seeks to value ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area by applying the Choice Experiment technique. The values placed on dryland ecosystem services by indigenous communities are estimated using a Conditional Logit model, Random Parameter Logit model and a Random Parameter Logit model with interactions. The results show that local communities would prefer getting increased grazing firewood collection, hunting opportunities and harvesting of medicinal plants.
The economic importance of the dryland ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area is generally unkn... more The economic importance of the dryland ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area is generally unknown, as is the distribution of benefits from use of the ecosystem services. This study seeks to value ecosystem services in the Kgalagadi area by applying the Choice Experiment technique and thereafter assess the potential for ecosystem services to contribute to the Khomani San livelihoods through a payment for ecosystem services (PES) scheme. The values placed on dryland ecosystem services by tourists are estimated using a Conditional Logit model, Random Parameter Logit model and a Random Parameter Logit model with interactions. The park visitors prefer getting more pristine recreational opportunities, increased chances of seeing predators and show disapproval of granting more access inside the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to local communities. This scenario shows that there is a possibility to craft a PES scheme where park visitors could compensate the local communities to accept a res...
This paper estimates the visitation demand function for Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) in ord... more This paper estimates the visitation demand function for Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) in order to determine the conservation fee to charge South African residents to maximise park revenue. We conducted contingent behavior experiments at KTP and three other national parks, which we assume are either substitutes or complements for visitors to KTP. Our random effects Tobit model shows that there is a wide variation in the own-price elasticities of demand between the parks but they are generally not elastic. The cross-price estimates indicate that there is limited substitutability in visitation demand among the four parks. The study uses the unitary elasticity rule to demonstrate that there is a possibility of raising conservation fees to revenue-maximising levels at KTP as well as the other parks, using methods such as a mandatory conservation fee increment or a community-bound voluntary donation above the regular conservation fee. Sharing conservation revenue with communities sur...
Handbook of Research on Inequities in Online Education During Global Crises
The impact of inequality and technology on access to online education has received tremendous att... more The impact of inequality and technology on access to online education has received tremendous attention within the past two decades from researchers across the globe. What remains under-researched is the knowledge of how shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic affect access to online education. The main objective of the study was to examine inequality in accessing online education in the context of a crisis in a developing region. A mixed-method approach was used to collect and analyze online survey data based on 393 undergraduate students from six countries in Southern Africa. Both observable and hidden inequality sources such as income and participation in household chores compromise the quality of online education. A shift from face-to-face teaching to online education is likely to result in learning difficulties and deterioration in the quality of education. Policies such as the provision of free data improve the learning experience by reducing inequality. Therefore, decision-maker...
Uploads
Papers by edwin muchapondwa