Perceptions of Natural Resources Use in Rwanda - A Partial Proportional Odds Model

The scarcity of natural resources is a challenge in Rwanda. Although Rwanda has improved water supplies, projections show a further increase in water demand. Particularly, agriculture continues to place further demands on water resources through intensification and industrialization. Similarly, although the dependence on biomass for cooking has improved over the past two decades in Rwanda, the ratio is still high and is projected to increase. Unfortunately, the heavy dependence on biomass is damaging to the environment in general, forests in particular. As the consumption of water and charcoal increases, it is important to study how people perceive their consumption. Research shows that people who perceive their consumption of natural resources are more likely to conserve them as they can see how much they are consuming. This study investigated perceptions of water and charcoal consumption among farmers in northern Rwanda. A survey was used to collect data from 323 farmers involved in a poultry development project in the district of Musanze, northern Rwanda. A Partial Proportional Odds Model (PPOM) was used to analyse the effect of different factors on the perception of natural resource consumption. Results indicate that the perception of charcoal consumption was associated with three variables: living in the urban section of the district, the amount of feed consumed by chicken, and elevation at which the coop is located. Results from this study can improve how food security projects are implemented by incorporating people’s perceptions of their consumption of natural resources.