Determinants of Papyrus Harvesting in the Yala Swamp, Kenya

Abstract

"Using data from a 2005 field survey, this paper examines the factors that drive papyrus-harvesting pressure in the Yala wetlands. Descriptive statistics were used to understand the socio-economic characteristics of papyrus harvesters and the papyrus production process while a truncated Tobit model was employed to determine the factors influencing the amount of papyrus harvested. The findings show that the number of years one is involved in papyrus activities (proxy for experience), household size, sex of the harvester, and level of ammonia increase the intensity of papyrus harvesting. Non-papyrus income, grass roofed house, and wooden seats, however tend to reduce it. The policy implication emanating from this study hinges on self-regulation, alternative sources of livelihood, and family planning control as the way forward for sustainable utilization of papyrus."