Economic Analysis of Bedouin Sheep Farming in Jordan and the Palestinian Territories

摘要

BedouincommunitiesacrosstheMiddleEastdependonlivestockastheirmainsourceoflivelihood.Thoselivinginmarginalareasareconfrontedbyharshenvironmentalconditionscausingpoorrangelandandshortgrazingperiods.Additionally,thecostofinputshasescalatedenormously(FAO2008),causingextrapressureonthelivestocksystem,economicperformanceandlivingstandardofBedouinhouseholds.ThisstudyexaminestheeconomicperformanceofsheepfarminginJordanandthePalestinianTerritories(PT).Farmandmarketsurveyswereconductedfortheseason2007/2008.Eighty-threesheepkeepersfromJordan(n=44)andthePT(n=39)wereinterviewed.GrossMarginandNetBenefitanalysisperflockwereconductedtomeasuretheeconomicsuccess.SubsistencepovertylineperhouseholdwascalculatedandcomparedtotheNetBenefit.Accordingly,threegroupsoffarmerswereidentified:farmerswithnegativeNetBenefit(Group1);farmerswithpositiveNetBenefitbeneaththesubsistencepovertyline(Group2);andfarmerswithpositiveNetBenefitabovethesubsistencepovertyline(Group3).nbsp;NetBenefitvalueswerenotsignificantlydifferentbetweenJordanandthePT,however,significantdifferenceswerefoundamongdifferentgroupswithineachregion.Pooleddatafromthetworegionsrevealedthatonly30.1%ofthesampleobtainedeconomicresultscoveringhouseholdexpenserequirements.TheleastsquaresmeanNetBenefitvaluesforGroup1(n=39),Group2(n=19)andGroup3(n=25)were-7,916,2,652and7,096JOD,respectively.UsingtheKruskal-Wallistest,feedingcostperewe(#1488;2=6.86*),transportationcostperhead(#1488;2=6.16*),priceofsoldlamb(#1488;2=6.63*)andsheepflocksize(#1488;2=13**)showedsignificantdifferencesamongthethreegroups.