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Author
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Jere, Lorraine
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Title
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Assessing the role of urban agricultural backyard enterprises on household food security and income: a case of Rimuka Gamepark suburb, Kadoma district
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Abstract
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Agricultural backyard enterprises are essential in promoting food security and household income. Crop and livestock diversification have shown to considerably boost revenue and standards of living for the people. Although it has great potential to be a solution for food security, backyard farming faces challenges, including less intensive cultivation and a lack of specialized technologies. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to evaluate the role of agricultural backyard enterprises in contributing to household income and food security in Rimuka Game Park, Kadoma District. This study aims to shed light on the potential of backyard agricultural businesses to improve food security and reduce poverty at the household level by looking at the experiences of these households and analysing the variables that affect their performance. The collected information from 82 respondents made use of self-administered questionnaires and interviews. Frequency analysis were used to identify the types of agricultural backyard enterprises in Gamepark Rimuka, Kadoma and gross margin analysis was used to assess the profitability of these enterprises. Poisson regression analysis assessed the impact of agricultural backyard enterprises on food security. Multiple linear regression analysis assessed the contribution of agricultural backyard enterprises to household income and SWOT analysis identified challenges faced by agricultural backyard enterprises in Rimuka Game Park. The results revealed agricultural backyard enterprises were statistically significant in contributing to household food security and the types of agricultural enterprises includes, vegetables, poultry, fruit orchard, dried grains, rabbit and dog breeding. Agricultural backyard incomes were significant at a 5% level of significance in contribution to household income and dog-breeding being the most profitable enterprise with return per dollar invested of $4, vegetables with $3.85 return per dollar invested, fruit orchard with $3 dollar per dollar invested, dried grains is the least paying enterprise with return per dollar invested of $ 1.60. Agricultural backyard enterprises face multiple challenges including, shortage of finance, limited space and unavailability of machinery. Therefore, from results drawn, implementation of policies to foster education of backyard farmers on precision agriculture and extension services is crucial because knowledge through education is power. The implementation of policies such as free input subsidies and programs that support the availability and affordability of diverse, nutrient-rich food in Kadoma is also helpful.
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Date
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May 2024
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Publisher
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Buse
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Keywords
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Agricultural backyard enterprises, food security, household income, SWOT Analysis, multiple linear regression, Poisson regression
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Supervisor
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Dr Mujeyi
Jere - AEM.pdf