Land fragmentation, agricultural productivity and implications for agricultural investments in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) region, Tanzania.

There are polarized evidences of the impact of agricultural land fragmentation on land productivity. On the one hand there viewpoints which consider land fragmentation to harm agricultural productivity. On the other hand there are counter thoughts which view land fragmentation as a positive situation which allows farmers to cultivate many environmental zones, minimise production risk and optimise the schedule for cropping activities. We use the case of Ihemi cluster in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) to investigate the impact of land fragmentation on crop productivity. We furthermore discuss the nature and causes of land fragmentation in the SAGCOT region and its implication on the future structure of agricultural landholdings and welfare of smallholder farmers in the region. The results showed that the nature and level of fragmentation in the study area were the outcome of combined, rather than isolated influences of supply and demand driven factors. Overall, the results did not support the claim that fragmentation reduces land productivity. This then implies that land fragmentation should not always be considered as defective. There were evidences of increasing chunks of land owned by rich farmers and investors which increased the possibility for increased consolidation of agricultural land under large scale farming. However, the landholdings for smallholder farmers might become increasingly more fragmented as poor smallholder farmers continue selling their land holdings to rich farmers and investors. Releasing the SAGCOT region’s potential for agricultural development will require that smallholder farmers are helped to secure adequate and suitable land for farming, raise agricultural productivity, diversify their sources of income, and adopt good production practices. This requires setting up a strong base of investor - farmer synergies for inclusive agricultural growth

Potential of rainfall indexed micro-insurance programs as tools to mitigate agricultural production risks in Tanzania

This paper discusses the theoretical and practical approach of developing and pricing rainfall indices, the potential and challenges of using rainfall indexed microinsurance programs as tools to mitigate agricultural production risks in Tanzania. The paper draws on the conceptual and methodological approaches of an on‐going research project which is funded by the Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA). The overall aim of the project is to estimate rainfall indexed put options and provide quantitative evidence that put options can be effectively employed as a viable agricultural risk management strategy by small scale farmers in Tanzania. The project is intended to provide the real world contexts within which pricing rainfall indexed put options methodology and tools can be assessed. Specifically, the project reviews the existing policies that affect availability and access to microfinance by small‐scale farmers in Tanzania. It intends to develop and price rainfall‐indexed put options at the ward level; estimate the willingness to pay for rainfall‐indexed put options; identify factors influencing willingness to pay for these options; build capacity to develop and price rainfall‐indexed put options and estimate willingness to pay for rainfall‐indexed put options.Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA

Potential of rainfall indexed micro-insurance programs as tools to mitigate agricultural production risks in Tanzania

This paper discusses the theoretical and practical approach of developing and pricing rainfall indices, the potential and challenges of using rainfall indexed microinsurance programs as tools to mitigate agricultural production risks in Tanzania. The paper draws on the conceptual and methodological approaches of an on‐going research project which is funded by the Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA). The overall aim of the project is to estimate rainfall indexed put options and provide quantitative evidence that put options can be effectively employed as a viable agricultural risk management strategy by small scale farmers in Tanzania. The project is intended to provide the real world contexts within which pricing rainfall indexed put options methodology and tools can be assessed. Specifically, the project reviews the existing policies that affect availability and access to microfinance by small‐scale farmers in Tanzania. It intends to develop and price rainfall‐indexed put options at the ward level; estimate the willingness to pay for rainfall‐indexed put options; identify factors influencing willingness to pay for these options; build capacity to develop and price rainfall‐indexed put options and estimate willingness to pay for rainfall‐indexed put options.Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA

Challenges and opportunities for sustaining the Usangu wetland in Tanzania

This article is available at http://bscw.ihe.nl/pub/bscw.cgi/S4af49516/d2606509/Njau.pdfDespite the many benefits that wetlands provide, the same resources constitute one of the most threatened, degraded and lost habitats in the world. Sustaining them and restoring the lost ones require a thorough understanding of the roots of the problem and the means to overcome it. Based on this ground, a study was conducted in Usangu Plains in the southwestern part of Tanzania using various Participatory Rural Approaches (PRAs) and a semi structured questionnaire so as to explore the challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainable management of the Usangu wetland. The following major challenges were identified: a) the challenge of ensuring a year round environmental water flow to the Usangu wetlands, b) the challenge of resolving the “paradigm dichotomy” between the natural resource conservationists and local communities (i.e. the conservation dilemma of whether to adapt a complete preservation approach or a flexible conservation approach to wetland resources, by allowing multiple uses of wetland resources), c) the challenge of winning the support of the local communities or actively involving them in ensuring sustainable management of wetlands, and d) the challenge of ensuring a thorough understanding of the trade-offs between utilization and sustainability of wetland resources, given the current rate of degradation and losses. Community-based conservation was perceived as the most preferable wetland conservation approach, which seeks to co-opt the managerial capacities of the wetland resources to the local people themselves, who have been very often by-passed in the conventional approaches

The knowledge about the potential health risks of illegal bushmeat activities among local communities adjacent to Western Nyerere National Park, Tanzania

Establishing knowledge of local communities regarding the potential health risks of illegal bushmeat hunting and its related practices is among the essential means to developing effective conservation and public health programs. To reveal the understanding of the local people regarding the potential health risks of bushmeat consumption and handling of wildlife products, we used a semi-structured questionnaire to survey 261 households in eight villages located adjacent to the western part of Nyerere National Park. Also, we interviewed eight key informants, including conservation personnel and veterinary officers, in the study area. The proportion of local people who were unaware that handling of wildlife products and bushmeat consumption were risky behaviours towards acquiring zoonotic diseases was slightly higher (57%) than the proportion of respondents who were aware of the likely risks of zoonotic diseases from the practices. After all, the majority (83%) of local people admitted having come into contact with wildlife products, while over 70% reported having consumed bushmeat. We found that local communities living closer to the park boundaries

Challenges and opportunities for sustaining the Usangu wetland in Tanzania

This article is available at http://bscw.ihe.nl/pub/bscw.cgi/S4af49516/d2606509/Njau.pdfDespite the many benefits that wetlands provide, the same resources constitute one of the most threatened, degraded and lost habitats in the world. Sustaining them and restoring the lost ones require a thorough understanding of the roots of the problem and the means to overcome it. Based on this ground, a study was conducted in Usangu Plains in the southwestern part of Tanzania using various Participatory Rural Approaches (PRAs) and a semi structured questionnaire so as to explore the challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainable management of the Usangu wetland. The following major challenges were identified: a) the challenge of ensuring a year round environmental water flow to the Usangu wetlands, b) the challenge of resolving the “paradigm dichotomy” between the natural resource conservationists and local communities (i.e. the conservation dilemma of whether to adapt a complete preservation approach or a flexible conservation approach to wetland resources, by allowing multiple uses of wetland resources), c) the challenge of winning the support of the local communities or actively involving them in ensuring sustainable management of wetlands, and d) the challenge of ensuring a thorough understanding of the trade-offs between utilization and sustainability of wetland resources, given the current rate of degradation and losses. Community-based conservation was perceived as the most preferable wetland conservation approach, which seeks to co-opt the managerial capacities of the wetland resources to the local people themselves, who have been very often by-passed in the conventional approaches

Integrated assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation in agriculture: the case study of the Wami River Sub-basin, Tanzania

A Book chapter, Climate Variability and Change in Africa, Sustainable Development Goals Series, 115-136 pp.This study evaluates the impacts of climate change and an adaptation strategy on agricul- ture in the Wami River sub-basin in Tanzania. This study uses the Agricultural Model Improvement and Inter-comparison Project (AgMIP) framework that integrates climate, crops and economic models and data using a novel multi-model approach for impact assess- ment of agricultural systems under current and future conditions. This study uses five Global Circulation Models (GCMs) from the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP5), two crop simulation models, and one economic impact assessment model. In this study, a representative agricultural path- ways (RAP) that characterises future condi- tions following ‘business-as-usual’ trends was developed and used to model future agricul- tural systems in the Wami River sub-basin. Results show that by mid-century, the maxi- mum and minimum temperatures will increase by 1.8–4.1 °C and 1.4–4.6 °C, respectively. Rainfall is predicted to be variable with some places projected to increase by 12%, while in other areas it is projected to decrease by 14– 28%. Maize yields under these conditions are projected to decrease by 5.3–40.7%. Results show that under current conditions, 50–60% of farm households are vulnerable to losses due to climate change. The impacts of climate change on poverty and per capita income are also projected to be negative. Under the current production system, poverty rates were pro- jected to increase by 0.8–15.3% and per-capita income to drop by 1.3–7.5%. Future socio-economic conditions and prices offset the negative impacts of climate change. Under future conditions, the proportion of households vulnerable to loss is estimated to range from 25 to 50%. Per-capita income and poverty rates are expected to improve under the future climate change conditions. Poverty rates would decrease between 1.9 and 11.2% and income per-capita would increase between 2.6 and 18.5%. The proposed future adaptation pack- age will further improve household liveli- hoods. This integrated assessment of climate change projections using the improved meth- ods and tools developed by AgMIP has con- tributed to a better understanding of climate change and adaptation impacts in a holistic manner

Perceptions of climate change, multiple stressors and livelihoods on marginal African coasts

Studies of multiple stressors in Africa often focus on vulnerable inland communities. Rising concentrations of the world’s poor live in coastal rural–urban areas with direct dependencies on marine as well as terrestrial ecosystem goods and services. Using participatory methods we elicited perceptions of stressors and their sources, impacts and consequences held by coastal communities in eastern Africa (Mtwara in Tanzania and Maputo in Mozambique). Respondent-informed timelines suggest wars, economic policies and natural increase have led to natural resource-dependent populations in marginal, previously little-inhabited lowland coastal areas. Respondents (n = 91) in interviews and focus groups rank climate stressors (temperature rise/erratic rain) highest amongst human/natural stressors having negative impacts on livelihoods and wellbeing (e.g., cross-scale cost of living increases including food and fuel prices). Sources of stress and impacts were mixed in time and space, complicating objective identification of causal chains. Some appeared to be specific to coastal areas. Respondents reported farms failing and rising dependence on stressed marine resources, food and fuel prices and related dependence on traders and credit shrunk by negative global market trends. Development in the guise of tourism and conservation projects limited access to land–sea livelihoods and resources in rural–urban areas (coastal squeeze). Mental modelling clarified resource user perceptions of complex linkages from local to international levels. We underline risks of the poor in marginal coastal areas facing double or multiple exposures to multiple stressors, with climate variability suggesting the risks of climate change