JOURNAL OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL ASSOCIATION OF TANZANIA

Challenges of using indigenous and local knowledges in management of the Malagarasi-Muyovozi Wetland resources

2024-04-29T08:06:41+00:00

Use of knowledges of localities is increasingly being upheld in addressing increasing challenges of management of natural resources. These knowledges have become important today following the insufficiency of the foreign knowledges imposed in the societies from the modern natural resource management initiatives. Informed by the study which was conducted in the Malagarasi-Muyowozi wetlands, in Western part of Tanzania, this paper presents findings on the challenges faced in using indigenous and local knowledges in management of wetland resources. Through a case study design, mixed methods approach was used, in which interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data from 1148 local community members from five villages in the area. The findings revealed that indigenous and local knowledges are used in management of wetlands in the area. It was also found that indigenous and local knowledges are not accepted to the same degree as that of the conventional scientific knowledge. It is therefore recommended that realization of the challenges and awareness creation efforts on effective use and sharing of knowledges irrespective of their locality are important and needed for sustainable management of the resources.

The Effect of Eco-innovation on Environmental Performance in Manufacturing Industries

2024-04-25T10:33:17+00:00

This article assesses the effect of eco-innovative activities in manufacturing industries. Its study employed a mixed-methods approach by gathering, analysing, and mixing quantitative and qualitative methods. Thirty-nine (39) manufacturing industries participated in the study. These were identified using a non-probability sampling method, specifically a purposive sampling technique. The convergent parallel design was employed to collect, analyse, and integrate qualitative and quantitative data and results simultaneously. Minitab® version 21, Microsoft® Excel 2016, and SPSS® software collaboratively analysed all the gathered data. Both inferential and descriptive analyses were conducted to achieve the results for the main research question. The findings reveal that the technological factor that ranked the highest (62%) was the unavailability of technology for specific applications. This shows a need to invest in eco- innovation throughout the manufacturing industries. The findings also indicate crucial environmental performance indicators: developing products with the least waste, performing environmental improvement programmes, reducing solid and liquid waste, and tracking products that reduce waste. Furthermore, the findings show that approximately 53.8% of industries should replace materials with less polluting/harmful alternatives. The study is vital to government policy-makers in understanding the impact of environmental regulation on eco-innovation and environmental performance. It also provides information to the assessed manufacturing industries to adjust to the standards required for eco-innovation in facilitating positive environmental performance.

Off-farm Employment: A Panacea for Increased Agricultural Productivity of Farm Owners in Gwer West Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria

2024-03-22T10:17:42+00:00

In developing countries, off-farm employment is regarded as a supplementary or complimentary sub-sector that engages farmers in either off-season or on-season production cycle. This paper investigates off-farm employment as a panacea for increasing agricultural productivity of farm owners in Gwer West Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria. Primary and secondary data were employed. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of four communities, while household farmers were selected using systematic sampling. 380 copies of questionnaire were administered. Frequency counts and simple percentage were used to analyse data. The findings showed that off-farm employment posed major impacts on farm workers; and these included reduced farm size, poverty reduction, improved education, increased farm investment, decreased farm output, increased non- farming activities, higher household income, farm labour availability, elevated household needs, and higher farm produce costs. The findings further revealed that there has been an increase in agricultural productivity in the target communities. It is recommended that farmers should be encouraged to invest off-farm income into agricultural activities. As a matter of priority, the government should as well support farm owners with capital and incentives that will enable them enhance their farm productivity.