Climate change adaptation strategies by local farmers in Kilombero District, Tanzania

This article examines current adaptation strategies developed by local farmers against climate change effects in Kilombero District. Research questions guided the study include; what are the past and current climatic stresses? What are local farmers’ perception on climate change and response to the adverse climatic stresses? What are institutions and political structures influencing local farmer’s adaptive capacity? The study was carried out in Mpofu, Njage and Miwangani villages. Data were collected through participatory rural appraisal, key informant interviews, household questionnaire interviews and focus group discussions. Findings show that there is prevalence of climate stresses including; prolonged dry spells, unpredictable floods, pests and diseases. Due to these stresses farmers have developed local adaptation strategies which are farming and non-farming. Farming strategies were crop diversification for food and cash and shift of cropping calendar. Non-farming strategies include the use of forest products, livestock rearing, fishing, petty trade, casual labours and remittances. Inferential statistics show that family size, number of years the respondent lived in the village, trend of rainfall and temperature are the factors influencing adaptation strategies positively. The study recommends local adaptation strategies to be streamlined to relevant policies in order to enhance local farmers’ adaptive capacity and become helpful in facing both present and future climate change effects.Keywords: Climate Change, Farmers, Stresses, Perceptions, Adaptation, Tanzani

Poor implementation of village land use plan impedes conservation efforts in Kilosa district, Tanzania

Journal paperVillage Land Use Plan is increasingly becoming a tool for land resource management in rural areas of Tanzania. The plan is expected to enhance conservation and reduce resource use conflicts and degradation. Despite the good prospects of the plan and large investments vested in it, little is known about its adoption and implementation. This paper provides the required information, based on interviews administered to households and key informants in two villages located in East Central Tanzania. Results revealed that on average a village land use plan is adopted and implemented by only 45%. Low level of implementation is partly due to inadequate involvement of local community and lack of land suitability analysis during the planning stage. Poor adoption and implementation of land use plans threatens the conservation efforts since land set aside for conservation is used contrary to the prescription

Poor implementation of village land use plan impedes conservation efforts in Kilosa district, Tanzania

Journal paperVillage Land Use Plan is increasingly becoming a tool for land resource management in rural areas of Tanzania. The plan is expected to enhance conservation and reduce resource use conflicts and degradation. Despite the good prospects of the plan and large investments vested in it, little is known about its adoption and implementation. This paper provides the required information, based on interviews administered to households and key informants in two villages located in East Central Tanzania. Results revealed that on average a village land use plan is adopted and implemented by only 45%. Low level of implementation is partly due to inadequate involvement of local community and lack of land suitability analysis during the planning stage. Poor adoption and implementation of land use plans threatens the conservation efforts since land set aside for conservation is used contrary to the prescription

Assessment of fire prevalence and reduction strategies in Miombo woodlands of Eastern Tanzania

Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation, 84(1): 24-37An assessment of the proximate causes, effects and factors contributing to fire prevalence was conducted in three districts covered by miombo woodlands in Eastern Tanzania. Three miombo woodlands under different management regimes and governance structures (central government forest reserve, local government forest reserve and village land forest) each were investigated in Handeni, Kilosa and Kilwa districts. Data were collected from three villages selected in each District through household surveys, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), interviews of key informants and field observations. The analysis of data involved content analysis for documentary materials, descriptive statistical analysis for household surveys and Chi square was used to test whether there were differences in responses of local communities across forest management regimes. Results indicate that the major five human activities contributing to fire prevalence across the miombo woodlands include farm preparation (34.1%), hunting (28.5%), arson (21.5%), livestock grazing (9.3%) and charcoal making (0.7%). The causes were fairly the same across forest management regimes. August, September and October were the peak fire months and they were not influenced by different management regimes but by geographical locations within Eastern Tanzania. Results further show that fires in miombo woodlands usually start inside the woodland (67.2%), around residential area (22.9%) and from farms (9.9%). The origin of fire inside the woodland becomes more serious because it combines the hunting, arson, livestock grazing and charcoal making which are usually done inside the woodland. Chi-square test indicates significant difference on origin of fires across the forest management regimes (χ² = 13.341 and p = 0.031). The local communities acknowledged fires having both positive and negative effects and these effects were the same across the management regimes. Further, across the surveyed villages, strong social ties existed between fires and the daily life of local communities. Poverty, ignorance, weak law enforcement and climatic factors were identified as underlying factors contributing to fire prevalence. Fire incidences are predicted to increase given the increasing climate change. Potential strategies to reduce fires incidence identified were awareness creation, law enforcement, making fire breaks, introduction of alternative income generating activities, and improving agriculture practises. Furthermore, the use of prescribed burning to reduce effects of late fires and developing fire management plans to enhance miombo woodland management are among the strategies worth consideration by the local communities

The role and performance of existing governance structures in prevention and management of wildfires in Miombo woodland, Tanzania

Although wildfire remains a persistent threat to the forest resources and human livelihood, very limited information exists about the role and performance of existing local governance structures in the prevention and management of wildfires in Miombo woodlands. This study was conducted in nine villages of Handeni, Kilosa and Kilwa Districts, eastern Tanzania to examine how existing local governance structures were actively involved in prevention of wildfires in forests under differing management regimes. All the surveyed villages had both formal and informal governance structures responsible for prevention and management of wildfires with over 50% of respondents aware of their existence. Available formal structures included village councils, Village Environmental Committees (VEC)/Village Natural Resource Committee (VNRC), ward development committees and primary courts. These structures were charged with ensuring security in the respective villages including protecting forests against deforestation and degradation. Despite their existence in every village, most suffered poor coordination, severe under funding and poor support from the villagers who see torching of forests as their sole right to getting access to their livelihoods. The study established that existing local fire management structures are unlikely to guarantee effective prevention of this environmental threat unless the existing impediments are effectively addressed. Management of forest fires should therefore be handled through a well coordinated framework that accommodates all key stakeholders in the country and should empower existing local fire prevention machinery at the village level.Available in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Reducing Climate Change Challenges through Forestry and Other Land Use Practices.Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation (CCIAM) Programme funded through the Norwegian embassy in Tanzani

The role and performance of existing governance structures in prevention and management of wildfires in Miombo woodland, Tanzania

Although wildfire remains a persistent threat to the forest resources and human livelihood, very limited information exists about the role and performance of existing local governance structures in the prevention and management of wildfires in Miombo woodlands. This study was conducted in nine villages of Handeni, Kilosa and Kilwa Districts, eastern Tanzania to examine how existing local governance structures were actively involved in prevention of wildfires in forests under differing management regimes. All the surveyed villages had both formal and informal governance structures responsible for prevention and management of wildfires with over 50% of respondents aware of their existence. Available formal structures included village councils, Village Environmental Committees (VEC)/Village Natural Resource Committee (VNRC), ward development committees and primary courts. These structures were charged with ensuring security in the respective villages including protecting forests against deforestation and degradation. Despite their existence in every village, most suffered poor coordination, severe under funding and poor support from the villagers who see torching of forests as their sole right to getting access to their livelihoods. The study established that existing local fire management structures are unlikely to guarantee effective prevention of this environmental threat unless the existing impediments are effectively addressed. Management of forest fires should therefore be handled through a well coordinated framework that accommodates all key stakeholders in the country and should empower existing local fire prevention machineryNORAD, Sokoine University of Agricultur

Assessment of fire prevalence and reduction strategies in Miombo woodlands of Eastern Tanzania

An assessment of the proximate causes, effects and factors contributing to fire prevalence was conducted in three districts covered by miombo woodlands in Eastern Tanzania. Three miombo woodlands under different management regimes and governance structures (central government forest reserve, local government forest reserve and village land forest) each were investigated in Handeni, Kilosa and Kilwa districts. Data were collected from three villages selected in each District through household surveys, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), interviews of key informants and field observations. The analysis of data involved content analysis for documentary materials, descriptive statistical analysis for household surveys and Chi square was used to test whether there were differences in responses of local communities across forest management regimes. Results indicate that the major five human activities contributing to fire prevalence across the miombo woodlands include farm preparation (34.1%), hunting (28.5%), arson (21.5%), livestock grazing (9.3%) and charcoal making (0.7%). The causes were fairly the same across forest management regimes. August, September and October were the peak fire months and they were not influenced by different management regimes but by geographical locations within Eastern Tanzania. Results further show that fires in miombo woodlands usually start inside the woodland (67.2%), around residential area (22.9%) and from farms (9.9%). The origin of fire inside the woodland becomes more serious because it combines the hunting, arson, livestock grazing and charcoal making which are usually done inside the woodland. Chi-square test indicates significant difference on origin of fires across the forest management regimes (χ² = 13.341 and p = 0.031). The local communities acknowledged fires having both positive and negative effects and these effects were the same across the management regimes. Further, across the surveyed villages, strong social ties existed between fires and the daily life of local communities. Poverty, ignorance, weak law enforcement and climatic factors were identified as underlying factors contributing to fire prevalence. Fire incidences are predicted to increase given the increasing climate change. Potential strategies to reduce fires incidence identified were awareness creation, law enforcement, making fire breaks, introduction of alternative income generating activities, and improving agriculture practises. Furthermore, the use of prescribed burning to reduce effects of late fires and developing fire management plans to enhance miombo woodland management are among the strategies worth consideration by the local communities

The role and performance of existing governance structures in prevention and management of wildfires in Miombo woodland, Tanzania

Although wildfire remains a persistent threat to the forest resources and human livelihood, very limited information exists about the role and performance of existing local governance structures in the prevention and management of wildfires in Miombo woodlands. This study was conducted in nine villages of Handeni, Kilosa and Kilwa Districts, eastern Tanzania to examine how existing local governance structures were actively involved in prevention of wildfires in forests under differing management regimes. All the surveyed villages had both formal and informal governance structures responsible for prevention and management of wildfires with over 50% of respondents aware of their existence. Available formal structures included village councils, Village Environmental Committees (VEC)/Village Natural Resource Committee (VNRC), ward development committees and primary courts. These structures were charged with ensuring security in the respective villages including protecting forests against deforestation and degradation. Despite their existence in every village, most suffered poor coordination, severe under funding and poor support from the villagers who see torching of forests as their sole right to getting access to their livelihoods. The study established that existing local fire management structures are unlikely to guarantee effective prevention of this environmental threat unless the existing impediments are effectively addressed. Management of forest fires should therefore be handled through a well coordinated framework that accommodates all key stakeholders in the country and should empower existing local fire prevention machineryNORAD, Sokoine University of Agricultur

Developing Fire Reduction Strategy for Miombo Woodlands as a Potential tool for Carbon Storage and Sequestration

World-wide, wildfires cause problems and when uncontrolled or misused they wreak havoc on society and the environment. In Tanzania, fire occurs in most parts of the Miombo woodlands, and some of them cause significant eco-logical and socio-economic impacts. Several efforts have been made in Tanzania to reduce the occurrence of fire in Miombo but their success has been constrained by underfunding and/or lack of proper strategies. Moreover, in many districts of Tanzania there are no apparent solutions to the fire problem, despite years of regulation and attempts to control fire, and in many places fire incidences are actually increasing. Therefore, this study intended to develop a fire management strategy for the Miombo woodland as a tool for climate change mitigation. This study also strived to identify causes, effects and factors contributing to fire prevalence. Spatial and temporal distribution of fires and burnt extents of wooded areas were determined from the Moderate Resolution Imanging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fires product and Landsat satellite images for the past 40 years (1972–2012). Vegetation and household surveys were used to capture empirical data on carbon stock and how different burning regimes and forest management scenarios influence carbon sequestration potentials. Furthermore, the role of formal and informal framework for the prevention, control and management of wild fires in the Miombo was determined. Th main output of this study is a proposed fire reduction strategy in Miombo. Th study findings show that, to a wider extent, 1.8 and 2.9 years mean fire return interval persist in western and eastern dry Miombo areas, respectively, burning up to 50.6% of the woodland. These wildfires were largely human-driven and commonly occur in all the villages surveyed whereas the existing local governance structures and institutions suffered from poor coordination, severe underfunding and poor support from the villagers. Torching of forests was largely perpetuated by weak enforcement of laws and regulations, poverty and existing local beliefs. On average, there is an indication that the central government forests have higher stock of carbon than the local government forests and village government forest reserves. However, there was no significant difference in carbon stock between forests experiencing no burning, early burning and late burning. The proposed fire management strategy for Miombo woodlands focused on the promotion of sustainable alternative land preparation methods, improved household income sources and awareness, sustainable land use management and promotion of sustainable charcoal production. The strategy indicates a number of activities to be implemented and actors responsible for each activity

Developing Fire Reduction Strategy for Miombo Woodlands as a Potential tool for Carbon Storage and Sequestration

World-wide, wildfires cause problems and when uncontrolled or misused they wreak havoc on society and the environment. In Tanzania, fire occurs in most parts of the Miombo woodlands, and some of them cause significant eco-logical and socio-economic impacts. Several efforts have been made in Tanzania to reduce the occurrence of fire in Miombo but their success has been constrained by underfunding and/or lack of proper strategies. Moreover, in many districts of Tanzania there are no apparent solutions to the fire problem, despite years of regulation and attempts to control fire, and in many places fire incidences are actually increasing. Therefore, this study intended to develop a fire management strategy for the Miombo woodland as a tool for climate change mitigation. This study also strived to identify causes, effects and factors contributing to fire prevalence. Spatial and temporal distribution of fires and burnt extents of wooded areas were determined from the Moderate Resolution Imanging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) active fires product and Landsat satellite images for the past 40 years (1972–2012). Vegetation and household surveys were used to capture empirical data on carbon stock and how different burning regimes and forest management scenarios influence carbon sequestration potentials. Furthermore, the role of formal and informal framework for the prevention, control and management of wild fires in the Miombo was determined. Th main output of this study is a proposed fire reduction strategy in Miombo. Th study findings show that, to a wider extent, 1.8 and 2.9 years mean fire return interval persist in western and eastern dry Miombo areas, respectively, burning up to 50.6% of the woodland. These wildfires were largely human-driven and commonly occur in all the villages surveyed whereas the existing local governance structures and institutions suffered from poor coordination, severe underfunding and poor support from the villagers. Torching of forests was largely perpetuated by weak enforcement of laws and regulations, poverty and existing local beliefs. On average, there is an indication that the central government forests have higher stock of carbon than the local government forests and village government forest reserves. However, there was no significant difference in carbon stock between forests experiencing no burning, early burning and late burning. The proposed fire management strategy for Miombo woodlands focused on the promotion of sustainable alternative land preparation methods, improved household income sources and awareness, sustainable land use management and promotion of sustainable charcoal production. The strategy indicates a number of activities to be implemented and actors responsible for each activity