Uptake and dissemination pathways for climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices in Lushoto, Tanzania

Smallholder farmers in East Africa need information and knowledge on appropriate climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices, and institutional innovations in order to effectively adapt to climate change and cope with climate variability. This paper assesses farmer uptake of climate-smart agricultural practices and innovations following a farmer learning journey through the Farms of the Future (FotF) approach. First, we explore and assess the various CSA technologies and practices, including institutional innovations farmers are using. Second, we identify and document farmer learning and dissemination pathways that can enhance uptake of CSA technologies and practices. Third, we identify existing institutions that can enhance uptake of CSA practices. We use household survey data, complimented with qualitative information from focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The results show farmers are using a variety of CSA technologies and practices, and institutional innovations. Improved crop varieties, agroforestry, and scientific weather forecast information were cited as the main CSA practices used. To minimize their risks and reduce vulnerabilities, farmers are diversifying and integrating five to ten practices in one season. Matengo pits, Savings and Credit Cooperative Organization (SACCOs) and energy efficient cook stoves were used by very few farmers due to high initial investment costs and unsuitability to the area. Over 95% of the farmers reported receiving agricultural information orally from a variety of sources including government extension workers, seed companies, researchers, traditional experts, neighbors, radio agricultural shows, religious groups, farmer groups, and family members. Farmers acknowledged the FotF approach as a useful tool that enabled them to interact with other farmers and learn new CSA practices and innovations

Village Baseline Study: Site Analysis Report for Usambara – Lushoto, Tanzania (TZ0105)

The village baseline study of Kwang’wenda village in the CCAFS benchmark Lushoto site, Tanzania took place from April 27 to 29, 2011. Focus group discussions were conducted separately for men and women. Population growth and agriculture intensification have led to encroachment onto the forest areas, reduction in riparian vegetation, cultivation along the riverbank, and soil fertility depletion on the farmland. The overall area under farming has increased but individual farms have become smaller and production per unit area has reduced due to land subdivision. The community’s vision of the future includes the conservation and expansion of the forest area by planting more trees and enforcing restrictions on illegal logging. It also calls for promoting agroforestry systems in the farmlands and allowing riverine vegetation to mature, in order to ensure clean waters in the rivers. The discussion groups identified 32 organisations, and 60% of them were involved in food security assistance, prioritizing food availability. Radio is the most significant source of information on agriculture in the village. Men were better informed about and interacted with groups that operated beyond the locality, while women were more aware of and engaged in groups that operated within the community but had limited operational capacity

Climate-smart villages and progress in achieving household food security in Lushoto, Tanzania

Preliminary results from climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives in Lushoto climate-smart villages, Tanzania

Participatory Evaluation of Resilient Potato Varieties in Climate-Smart Villages of Lushoto in Tanzania

This three-year study conducted by the International Potato Centre (CIP) in collaboration with Selian Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) was based on demand by Lushoto farmers through the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). This participatory action research (PAR) was aimed at developing more resilient potato varieties that can grow in both long and short rainy seasons and give higher yields. The approach involved training-of-trainers (ToT) and participatory varietal selection (PVS) experiments. The ToT comprised five training events using modules. Three training events were done in the long rainy season and two in the subsequent short rainy season. The topics covered in the first round of training were on integrated crop management, from land preparation to seed storage. The second round of training was participant-driven whereby topics emerged from the first training. A total of twenty-one participants representing farmers, extension services and local non-governmental organizations were trained. The training was supported by field experiments using the CIP Mother and Baby Trials model. The trials were carried out in five villages: Kwesine, Boheloi, Maringo, Kwekitui and Milungui. Experimental materials comprised six advanced and heat tolerant clones from CIP (CIP390478.9, CIP388767.1, CIP392797.22, CIP300055.32, CIP398208.29 and CIP397073.7), two local varieties (Kidinya and Obama), an improved variety recently registered in Tanzania (Asante) and a popular farmer’s variety but registered in Kenya (Shangii). A cross-analysis of field and culinary data combining quantitative and qualitative assessments from the three seasons of field evaluations showed a certain consistency in the high yielding ability and acceptability of four genotypes, namely Asante, Shangii, CIP392797.22 and CIP398208.29. The two clones were then named by farmers and proposed for official release while Shangii was proposed for registration for commercial use

Summary of household baseline survey results: Lushoto, Tanzania

This report summarizes the results of a baseline household-­‐level survey, led by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), carried out in 7 villages and 140 households in Lushoto, Tanzania in January 2011. The objective of this baseline effort was to describe the characteristics of the farming systems found across a wide range of research sites in 12 countries, including the Lushoto site, and to better understand what kinds of farming practice changes households have been making and why

Landscape-scale variability of soil health indicators: Effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania

During the Phase I of the CCAFS project we conducted a systematic land and soil health assessment in Lushoto District in November 2012. These data were used to inform climate-smart agricultural interventions for the IFAD project as well as to parameterize DSSAT crop models for maize and beans. The land and soil health assessment that was carried out using the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF). These data were also used to assess the effect of cultivation on soil organic carbon dynamics across the landscape. Finally, these data provide a biophysical assessment for the Lushoto CCAFS Climate Smart Village

Landscape-scale variability of soil health indicators: Effects of cultivation on soil organic carbon in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania

During the Phase I of the CCAFS project we conducted a systematic land and soil health assessment in Lushoto District in November 2012. These data were used to inform climate-smart agricultural interventions for the IFAD project as well as to parameterize DSSAT crop models for maize and beans. The land and soil health assessment that was carried out using the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF). These data were also used to assess the effect of cultivation on soil organic carbon dynamics across the landscape. Finally, these data provide a biophysical assessment for the Lushoto CCAFS Climate Smart Village

Adoption and Dissemination Pathways for Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies and Practices for Climate-Resilient Livelihoods in Lushoto, Northeast Tanzania

Smallholder farmers in East Africa need information and knowledge on appropriate climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices, technologies, and institutional innovations in order to effectively adapt to changing climatic conditions and cope with climate variability. This paper assesses farmer adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices and innovation after being exposed to Farms of the Future Approach (FotF). First; we explore and assess the various CSA technologies and practices; including institutional innovations farmers are adopting. Second; we identify and document farmer learning and dissemination pathways that can enhance adoption of CSA technologies and practices. Third; we identify existing institutions that enhance adoption of CSA practices. We use household survey data, complemented by qualitative information from focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The results show farmers are adopting a variety of CSA technologies, practices, and institutional innovations to after participating in the FotF approach with use of improved crop varieties, agroforestry, and scientific weather forecast information cited as the main practices. To minimize their risks and reduce vulnerabilities, farmers are diversifying and integrating five to 10 CSA practices in one season. Matengo pits, SACCOs, and efficient energy stoves were adopted by very few farmers due to their high initial investment costs and unsuitability to the area. Ninety-eight percent of farmers reported that they receive agricultural information orally from a variety of sources including government extension workers, seed companies, researchers, traditional experts, neighbors, radio agricultural shows, religious groups, farmer groups, and family members. Lastly, farmers reported that the FotF approach is a useful tool that enabled them to interact with other farmers and learn new CSA practices and innovations. Suggested improvements to make on the FotF included include longer trip duration, increased number of farmer participants, and gender balance and age considerations to include youth

Livelihoods and food security in an urban linked, high potential region of Tanzania : Changes over a three year period

Ongoing and projected changes to rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are unprecedented in scale and pace. This paper investigates to what extent significant changes in livelihoods, poverty and food security performance are already taking place. The study focuses on households in Lushoto district (n = 147), a remote but urban linked area of Tanzania. Within the short time period between 2012 and 2015, 77% of households made changes in farm resources or farm characteristics. Households in the study site can be broadly classified as 'Rising high value crop', 'Rising livestock', 'Subsisting mixed' and 'Subsisting crops'. Some of the most substantial changes we observed in the three year period of study were most likely not related to any of the agricultural orientated interventions that are being promoted in the region, but are likely endogenous changes. The land expansion seen in the 'Rising' households (n = 58) provides a counterpoint to the trend established in the literature of decreasing farm sizes across lower income countries more broadly, and specifically in Africa. The strategy of land expansion is risky, potentially representing a future of winners and losers, ultimately with some land-holders falling further into poverty rather than leveraging their agricultural enterprises to improve their well-being. Our results show that in sites like Lushoto with a good rural to urban connection (increasingly common in SSA), households can be agile and diverse and agency interventions are aiming for a moving target. In order to achieve income and food security outcomes, targeted and rapid monitoring tools will be needed