Shocks and rural livelihoods in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Figures & data

Figure 1: A framework for livelihood analysis of rural households (Slightly adapted from Ellis (2000) for application to the Okavango Delta region): Notes: CBNRM – Community Based Natural Resources Management; ITK – Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK)

Figure 2: Map of the Okavango Delta showing the study areas (Source: Fieldwork, 2003)

Table 1: Population, number of households and sample sizes in the study areas

	Etsha 6	Gudigwa	Sehitwa	Shorobe	Seronga
Population (2001)	2629	732	1478	955	1641
Number of households (2001)	580	112	416	201	364
Number of households interviewed	36	18	28	17	30
Source: CSO, 2002a.

Table 2: Livelihood activities of the Okavango Delta ranked by how households accord importance

	A	B	C
Livelihood activity	% of h/h ranking livelihoods as first n = 129	% of h/h ranking livelihoods as second n = 129	% of h/h ranking livelihoods as third n = 129	D Average % of a, b, and c
Arable agriculture	23.3	17.1	7.0	15.8
Livestock farming	9.3	8.5	5.4	7.7
Formal employment	20.9	7.0	0.8	9.6
Basket making	1.6	7.0	4.7	4.4
Remittances	7.0	3.1	4.1	4.7
Government assistance	9.3	10.9	9.3	9.8
Drought relief projects	4.7	1.6	5.4	3.9
Beer brewing	3.9	10.1	1.6	5.2
Others	11.6	5.4	7.8	8.3
Note: These columns do not add up to 100% because households mentioned more than livelihood strategy. However, the percentages are generally low because some of the households did not do the ranking of livelihood activities.

Figure 3: Maize yield variations in relation to precipitation in Ngamiland (Source: Bendsen & Meyer, 2003)

Figure 4: Map of the Okavango Delta showing channels and flood plains that have dried up

Figure 5: Adaptive strategies to the drying up of the river in three villages

Table 3: Trends in the population of Shorobe village and associated localities

	1981	1991	2001	Population growth rate (%): 1981–1991	Population growth rate (%): 1991–2001
Shorobe	539	758	955	3.4	2.3
Xabe	78	126	49	4.8	− 9.4
Shokomokwe	86	118	79	3.2	− 4.0
Gobomochaa	109	89	23	2.0	− 13.5
Xuxau	125	252	69	7.0	− 12.9
Makoba	59	51	41	− 1.5	− 2.2
Mochaba	82	105	151	2.5	3.6
Source: CSO, 1982, 1992, 2002b.
Note: Population growth rates estimated by one of the authors using the exponential formula: Pn = Poe^rn, where e is a mathematical constant with the value 2.71827, r is the population growth rate, and n is the inter-census period.

Table 4: Frequencies of households who said other households emigrated

Village	Frequencies	Number of households (N)	% frequencies
Gudigwa	2	18	11.1
Sehitwa	15	28	53.6
Shorobe	10	17	58.8
Etsha	8	36	22.2
Source: Fieldwork.

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