Farmers’ Vulnerability to Climate Change Impacts in Semi-arid Environments in Tanzania: A Gender Perspective

This chapter reports on the study conducted in semi-arid environment in Iramba and Meatu districts to examine gender vulnerability and adaptations to climate change impacts. The study adopted qualitative approach that brought together smallholder farmers and agro-pastoralists to discuss issues, in nine focus group discussions, in three villages. A total of 99 participants were involved. The results showed that the major climatic hazards since 1985 were, among others, drought, floods, strong wind accompanied with “ice falling,” and crop and livestock diseases including malaria and cholera that affected humans. Their frequencies were reported to be on the increase, especially since the 2000s. Such hazards negatively affected livelihoods resources like land, livestock, human and water resource that in turn affected communities’ livelihoods. Men and women had developed different coping and adaptation strategies, which had not changed much in the past 30 years. Men’s strategies were related to mobility contrary to women counterparts. The chapter concludes that women and children were more vulnerable due to factors like limited control over livelihoods resources, limited mobility, domestic chores and the general subordinate position in the communities. Concerted integrated programmes from various stakeholders are required to rectify an existing situation

Trends in HIV/AIDS Voluntary Testing in Tanzania: A Case of Njombe Urban, Njombe Region

This article presents and analyzes status and trends for people who were voluntarily tested for HIV/AIDS infections in Njombe Town Council in Njombe region. The analysis covers five year period between 2007 and 2011. This period was specifically chosen because it was in July 2007 that the government of Tanzania inaugurated a campaign for HIV/AIDS voluntary counselling and testing. Nevertheless, trends for the people who are using Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) centres and the associated results regarding HIV/AIDS infections are not clearly established. The article utilizes data collected from three Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) centres in Njombe Urban. Percentages of people infected with HIV/AIDS were computed using a calculator. Findings demonstrate that the number and percentages of people who were voluntarily tested for HIV/AIDS was increasing suggesting that over time more and more people were using voluntary testing and counselling centres (VCT). Interestingly, while the number of people visiting VCT centres revealed increasing trend, HIV/AIDS infections showed decreasing trend over the years for all of the VCT centres under consideration. Notwithstanding decreasing trend for HIV/AIDS infections, many people were living with HIV/AIDS particularly women. Overall, infections accounted for 6.5% at Njombe Health Centre higher than at Njombe Lutheran VCT centre and at Kibena Hospital, where both recorded 5.1% of people infected with HIV/AIDS. Controlling new cases for HIV/AIDS infections will help to re-direct resources to development initiatives at all levels. Therefore, concerted efforts are needed to curb further HIV/AIDS infections in Njombe urban and in Tanzania more generally. Keywords: HIV/AIDS, infection trends, urban Tanzani

Rain-Fed Farming System at a Crossroads in Semi-Arid Areas of Tanzania: What Roles do Climate Variability and Change Play?

Positive changes, like adopting drought resistant crop varieties, in the rain-fed farming system (RFFS) in response to climate variability and change enhance system’s ability to support people’s living as opposed to negative changes, like lack of pastures, which put the system at risk of failure in supporting the living. Using participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and household survey, this paper examined the roles of climate variability and change in triggering changes in RFFS. Specifically, the paper: (i) assessed dominant crop and livestock farming system; (ii) assessed the change element of crop and livestock production systems; and (iii) examined factors for the changes in RFFS. A random sample of 388 households was used. Qualitative data analysis was done through content analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to assess factors that explain changes on RFFS. The results showed that dominant crops were different in each village. Secondly, some changes in crop varieties and in livestock grazing arrangements were noted in response to climate variability and change. Unlike the hypothesis (P>0.05), the results demonstrated that warming (ß = -10.61, Wald = 36.26, P ? 0.001) showed highest significant impact on likelihood of adopting new crop varieties relative to other factors. Similarly, drought (ß = 2.16, Wald = 6.82, P ? 0.009) showed highest impact on the likelihood of changing a grazing place. Yet, the changes were constrained by factors like natural resources protective policies, failure of crop varieties to withstand warming and drought, and poor land use management. Therefore, the RFFS was at a crossroads with implications on system sustainability and livelihoods. The government and private interventions should support farmers and agro-pastoralists to manage risks related to the changes in RFFS in response to climate variability and change. Keywords: Climate change, agro-pastoralism, livelihoods, semi-arid, Tanzani

Determinants of farmers’ choice of adaptation strategies against climate variability and change: Lessons from central Tanzania in Manyoni district

Farmers’ adaptation strategies against climate variability and change impact are fundamental in abating the effects in this epoch. Previous studies have confirmed the presence of context-specific farmers’ adaptation strategies in Tanzania. However, it is not clear what factors influence farmers to select specific adaptation strategies. This study contributes to filling this knowledge gap. We used the cross-sectional research design in a survey of a random sample of 330 small-scale farmers. The multivariate probit was used to model the factors determining the choice of adaptation strategies. Farmers adapted a number of strategies, nonetheless, there were four key adaptation strategies: drought-resistant varieties, use of early maturing varieties, resistant livestock breeds, and conservation agriculture. Farmers used more than one strategy, and the choice was determined by multiple factors that showed a statistically significant impact at 5 %. We categorize the factors into four groups: (i) individual farmer and or household characteristics covering age, farming experience of the household head; household size; and household wealth, especially livestock ownership (ii) farm characteristics like location of the farm and farm size (iii) institutional factors that include access to extension services, technology, and provision of title deeds for land ownership to the farmers; and (iv) knowledge of manifestation of CV & C like shifting of rain seasons, and awareness of using meteorological information in decision making. These factors should be considered in policy development to heighten the effectiveness of the adaptation strategies in cushioning climate variability and change impact in the study area and central Tanzania at large

Inter-annual anomaly and seasonal variability of rainfall and temperature in selected Semi-arid Areas of Tanzania

Although climate variability and change are not new phenomena in semi-arid areas, their trends may change over time. Using data from Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) during the interval 2003 -2011, this paper examined inter-annual anomaly (deviation from long term mean) and seasonal variability of rainfall and temperature in Iramba and Meatu Districts. Results showed no significant increase (P>0.05) of inter-annual rainfall variability. Nonetheless, a considerable shift of heavy rains was evident in Iramba District. In both districts there was a shift of months with the most rain. In addition, considerable rainfall and temperature variability were depicted by the trends in the; number of hot and cold years; number of dry and wet years as well as by trends in the number of rainy days in both districts. While temperature showed an increasing trend throughout April in both districts, rainfall showed a decreasing trend, which can increase evapo-transpiration and in turn reduces moisture for the crops, exacerbates poor pasture productivity for livestock, and leads to water scarcity for both crops and animals. Hence, adjustments in cropping and livestock production systems and institutional support are critical in order to buffer the impact of climate variability in semi-arid areas