Understandings of climate change, climate-smart small scale agriculture and practices of climate-smart small scale agriculture as climate change adaptation in two Tanzanian districts: a case study of Kilosa and Chamwino districts

Abstract

Employing over 70% of Tanzanians, many of them small-scale farmers earning less than US$ 1 per day, the agriculture sector is particularly vulnerable to climate change. While climate change undermines agricultural development in low income countries like Tanzania, globally, agriculture contributes 14% of the anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHG). Agricultural practices like shifting cultivation; use of fire during farm preparation; use of synthetic fertilizers; forest clearance; higher tillage and livestock keeping are examples of agricultural techniques that are commonly practiced in Tanzania and that contribute to GHG emissions. The study was conducted from December 2012 to March 2013 in 8 villages of Chamwino and Kilosa Districts as well as amongst district and national-level stakeholders. The study was a part of implementation of the Climate Change, Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation (CCAP) project, a partnership initiative between Action Aid Tanzania, MJUMITA, MVIWATA, TFCG and TOAM. It aimed to document understanding of climate change and climate-smart small scale (C3S) agriculture, assess the current uptake of C3S agricultural practices and support of the government in adoption of C3S agriculture. The study used structured and semi structured interviews; key informant interviews; direct observations and reviewing of reports and grey literatures. The study found that: the level of understanding on climate smart, small-scale agriculture is low amongst most stakeholders; and few farmers in the study villages have adopted C3S agricultural techniques. Support by the district authority for C3S agriculture is also low in the study villages. Instead the district targets ‘modernising’ projects that benefit a few villages each year. The survey also found that the National Climate Change Steering Committee does not see that it is its role to promote policy harmonization in relation to C3S agriculture