Thesis (Ph.D. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / In South Africa, the presence of inland waterbodies provides opportunities for households
to engage in fishing activities. The existence of fish and the availability of several
waterbodies in the country's inland provinces provide households with alternative means of
generating income and food security. With the prevalence of food insecurity, high
unemployment, and poverty in the country, inland fisheries serve as an economic safety net,
food, and source of income for rural poor households who live near impoundments.
However, policymakers in South Africa have overlooked inland fisheries as a means of
supporting rural livelihoods. Furthermore, the sector's economic and social contribution is
frequently overlooked and underappreciated. Thus, inland fisheries are classified as
informal due to the lack of legislation, despite the fact that rural households rely on this
sector for income and food. Furthermore, the inland fisheries value chain is short, with little
evidence of post-harvesting activities, and the roles and functions of rural households in this
value chain are unknown. Despite this, inland fisheries provide a low-cost source of protein
for households, and hence this sector has the potential to help reduce poverty,
unemployment, and food insecurity.
Given this background information, the study aimed at assessing the contribution of inland
fisheries to income generation and food security in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
The objectives of the study were to identify and describe the socio-economic characteristics
of households and their different roles and functions played along the inland fisheries value
chain in the Limpopo Province, to determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household
income in the study area and to determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household
food security in the study area. The study was conducted within three districts of the
Limpopo Province namely, Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM), Mopani District
Municipality (MDM) and Vhembe District Municipality (VDM). Multistage and proportional
sampling procedures were used to select 400 participants. In the study, both fishing and
non-fishing households were interviewed. The motive behind interviewing non-fishing
households is that they are mostly consumers of inland fish. Therefore, snowball and
purposive sampling techniques were used to identify households who participate in inland
fisheries. Snowball and the Convenient sampling technique were also used to identify the
role players of inland fisheries. This was done to obtain information about the roles that
households perform along the value chain of inland fisheries. Of the 400 households, about
193 are fishers who play either single or multiple roles within the value chain. A structured
questionnaire was therefore used to collect data to achieve the objectives of the study.
The collected data was captured on Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version
27 for analysis. Several analytical tools from SPSS were employed to run the analysis. For
instance, the descriptive statistics was used to identify and describe the socio-economic
characteristics of households and their different roles and functions played along the inland
fisheries value chain in the Limpopo Province. On the other hand, Pearson Chi-square and
Pearson Correlation Moment were used to check the relationship between the socio economic characteristics of households and their functions along the inland fisheries value
chain. To determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household income, the study
calculated the share of both fishing and non-fishing income activities to the total household
income of households who only participate in inland fisheries. This was derived by using
income share. To check the level of income diversification for fishing households, the study
utilised the Simpson Income Diversity index (SID). The Multiple Linear Regression model
was used to analyse factors that influence the income of fishing households. To determine
the contribution of inland fisheries to household income, two food security measures were
used. This includes Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Household Food
Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Data were analysed for both fishing and non-fishing
households to check the food security differences. Binary Logistic Regression model was
employed to analyse the determinants of rural households’ dietary diversity using HDDS
which was grouped into Low dietary diversity and High dietary diversity. Furthermore,
Multinomial Logistic Regression model was used to determine the effects of inland fisheries
on household food security status.
Based on the findings, the study concludes that males dominate inland fisheries activities
over females. Fishing is practised for food by both males and females, but there is also an
aspect of income generation. Furthermore, most fishers prefer to capture fish at state dams,
with Tilapia being the most common species in all the three investigated districts. However,
Carp, Bass and Catfish are also amongst the preferred fish species. Additionally,
households are likely to consume fish from inland waters at least once a week. The findings
also show that selling raw fish contributes more to the overall household income in all the
three districts. On average, households in SDM and VDM have a medium level of income
diversity, whereas households in MDM have a low level of income diversity. Furthermore,
the marital status of the household head, access to credit, and average quantity of fish are
among the factors influencing the income of fishing households, whereas level of education,
distance to fishing area, and number of years fishing are some of the determinants of dietary
diversity. Similarly, gender of the household head, total household income, and type of
agricultural activity are some of the significant variables that influence the food security
status households in the Limpopo Province. Additionally, the results show that there is a
significant difference between the household food security of small-scale fishers,
subsistence fishers, recreational fishers and non-fishing households. However, households
in SDM and VDM are likely to be mildly food insecure where else households in MDM are
likely to be severely food insecure. The study found that rural households in the study area
play various roles within the inland fisheries value chain. These roles include input suppliers,
fishers, traders, processors, and consumers. Additionally, there is exist a relationship
between socio-economic characteristics of the households and their functions along the
inland fisheries value chain. Lastly, the study concludes that the value chain of inland
fisheries is short due to the lack of exports and formal markets in the study area.
To this end, the study recommends that policy makers should recognise inland fisheries as
another way of sustaining rural livelihoods translating to income and food security.
Moreover, awareness of the inclusion of inland fish in household food and the available
opportunities for rural households in the value chain should be given attention by the
government and relevant institutions. However, sustainable fishing practices is the central
issue that should be prioritised by households under the guidance of the government to
maintain a long and lasting livelihoods. / Nationa Research Foundation (NRF)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ul/oai:ulspace.ul.ac.za:10386/4241 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Mokhaukhau, Jenny Potsiso |
| Contributors | Belete, A., Hlongwane, J. J. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xv, 199 leaves |
| Relation |
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