Description

Abstract: In East Africa, widespread conflict exists regarding the implications of land use practices for wildlife conservation. Among the Maasai of northern Tanzania, cultivation is increasing, and the impacts of these changes on the landscape and wildlife are still in question. The research project discussed in this brief aims to assess the impacts of cultivation on Maasai household economy, livestock mobility, and migratory wildlife movement in the Simanjiro Plains of Tanzania. Evaluation of these components of the system will promote informed conservation policy that can best balance the needs of people with those of wildlife. The Goal of this particular study was to evaluate the economic role of cultivation and cash generated through the local gem trade in modern Maasai livelihoods. A household-level analysis of incomes and expenditures indicates that cultivation contributes significantly to livelihoods at the household level. Food and cash generated through cultivation not only feed families directly but also allow households to maintain herds by reducing the need to sell livestock to meet other needs. Cultivation also buffers against system shocks such as drought by generating new food quickly while herds recover. The gem trade appears to generate pulses of cash that may have important consequences for land conversion to cultivation and development at the village level.