Strengthening policies and institutions to support adaptation to climate variability and change in the drylands of East Africa (original) (raw)
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Growing scientific evidence suggests that climate change will accelerate weather extremes and increase human vulnerability to disasters. Exposure of agro-pastoralists to erratic rainfall and cyclical droughts leads to frequent crop failures and livestock losses, with additional shocks from economic perturbations and erosion of household assets depriving this vulnerable group of “insurance” against adverse risks, driving them from a state of vulnerability to destitution. Despite the growing global agitation to mainstream community-based strategies for climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Kenya, existing institutional and policy formulation processes rarely incorporate the views and experiences of agro-pastoralists. This leads to policies that are neither responsive nor accountable to vulnerable groups. This paper identifies existing community strategies for CCA and DRR in Keiyo district and assesses their level of participation in policymaking, as well as key challenges and opportunities for mainstreaming agro-pastoralist involvement in policy formulation. The data was obtained through participatory approaches involving focus group discussions (FGDs), questionnaires and structured interviews. It is evident from the findings of the study that while agro-pastoralists have developed localised strategies for CCA and DRR, these are not fully recognised by existing government policy processes. Therefore, efforts should be made to mainstream the participation of agro-pastoralists in CCA and DRR policy formulation processes.
Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Agro-pastoralists in Tanzania
Asian journal of advances in agricultural research, 2023
Climate change is seriously impacting the well-being of rural agro-pastoralists whose main livelihoods depend on rainfed agriculture. This study examined the factors that influence farmers' decisions to climate change adaptation measures. The study sampled 411 agro-pastoralist farmers and used factor analysis to extract correlated and uncorrelated adjustment strategies. These strategies include; Crop diversification, livestock diversification, small scale irrigation, rain-water harvesting and off-farm activities were found to be the adaptation strategies extracted by factor analysis as dependent variables. Results obtained by the study show that the five coefficients of the variables identified were negative while three were positive, suggesting that the propensity (tendency) of adapting a practice is conditioned by whether or not a practice in the subset has been adapted. Moreover, it is clear that in central and northern zones of Tanzania, age and access to communication media are strongly determined the decisions to adaptation strategies to climate change among the agro-pastoralists. Therefore, the paper recommends for designing policies that reflect the differences in ecology among agro-pastoralists.
African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2019
Climate change and variability threatens food security globally making life uncertain mostly for agropastoral communities in semi-arid areas. This has necessitated exploration of designed pathways with potentials to increase resilience among agro-pastoralists. This work investigates agro-pastoralists' innovative pathways for enhancing resilience to the impacts of climate change and variability in Kiteto and Kilindi districts. Mixed method research approach under correlation case study design was employed. Primary data were collected using household survey which sampled 384 households, Focus group discussion (n=6), in-depth interviews (key informants) and field visits. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used in analyzing and presenting the findings. Majority of the respondents (81%) noted a decline and changes in seasonal rainfall and amount and increase in temperature trends (91.4%) in their areas for the past 30 years linked to reduced livestock production and cereals and pulses crop yields. These findings corroborate that from the Tanzania meteorological data (TMA). About 91.1% of the respondents said the major impacts of climate change and variability are decline in grazing/pasture lands, cultivated lands and water resources causing decreasing number of their livestock and crop productivity, ultimately food insecurity for a decade. To increase resilience, agropastoralists developed different innovative pathways, though most are similar. The main innovated pathways were livestock seasonal mobility, construction of traditional water points (Njoro), traditional grazing management system through traditional by-laws for pastures conservation/rotational use, growing of droughts-resistant mixed crops, Maasai traditional constructed water reservoirs (Mboutu), reducing stock numbers by selling, drought-tolerant forage species(cactus plants for Animal's fodder), keeping mixtures of herds and women transporting water by donkeys from traditional wells/Njoro. Government and other stakeholders are called upon to improve agro-pastoralists' adaptive capacity and increase households' food security status in the study areas.
Climatic Change, 2020
Climate change is a reality in Africa's drylands. Pastoralists are engaging and embracing a range of adaptive strategies to adjust to these changes. The socioeconomic factors driving them to engage in a portfolio of multiple adaptation strategies have not been adequately addressed in the existing literature. A multivariate probit model was used to analyze them as determinants of adaptive capacity that promotes or hinders adaptation to climate change. Adaptation is represented by uptake of multiple strategies (irrigation, livestock migration, fodder production, and improved livestock breeds) by households, a demonstration of a household's ability to diversify and adapt to the effects of climate change. The household asset base, particularly social capital represented by government assistance, stands out as it positively influenced by the uptake of four out of five adaptation strategies; that is, irrigation, livestock manure, fodder production, and improved breeds. Information heavily supports the adaptation process as it influenced all the five adaptation strategies analyzed but has a heterogeneous effect, supporting households to either adopt or reject a strategy. Crop-based information positively determines uptake of yield-enhancing strategies while relevant information for livestock activities contributes to the uptake of livestock-based strategies. These findings suggest that mainstreaming agricultural innovations, building a household asset base, and facilitating access to agronomic and climatic information will enable dryland communities to better adapt to climate change.
March to April 2022
This study sought to establish factors that accelerate vulnerability to climate change impact among Agro- Pastoralists in Arumeru District, Tanzania, using the Cross- Sectional Survey Design. The sample size was 202 respondents selected through random and purposive sampling procedures. In each village, 30 households of 18 years of age and above were sampled. Data was collected using household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interviews. Data was analysed through the thematic approach and descriptive statistics. The study identified some factors that accelerated vulnerability to Climate Change Impact. The study recommended that there is a need to fully involve local communities in planning and decision making on how to effectively mitigate climate change impacts on people's livelihood. There is also a need for increased consciousness of the possible impacts of climate changes. Finally, the agro-pastoralist should employ several strategies to reduce risk, such as p...
Environmental Economics, 2017
This study assesses the community vulnerability and existing adaptive strategies to the impact of climate change in semi-arid areas of Tanzania. The study was undertaken in Shinyanga rural district. The study methods included focus group discussions, key informant and household interviews. Findings from the study showed that the local communities are aware that the climate is changing, as characterized by variability in rainfall patterns and increasing temperature. Rainfall amounts have decreased and became more unpredictable, and drought prolonged. Temperatures have also increased. Consequently, there has been declining crop productivity and increasing food insecurity. Such situation has increased the vulnerability of local community livelihoods to the impacts of climate change. Different socio-economic groups of households (the well-off, intermediate and poor) have differently pursued multiple adaptation strategies, including growing of drought tolerant crops, increasing wetlands ...
Climate change adaptation strategies by local farmers in Kilombero District, Tanzania
Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management, 2013
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.
AARF, 2014
Climate change is threatening many lives and is expected to have more significant impact on the livelihoods of the rural poor in developing countries including Tanzania. Its effects impact different groups of the societies differently. Adaptations strategies vary among different groups as well. This paper presents the results of a study conducted among the Maasai pastoralists in Ketumbeine ward in Longido district. Three specific issues addressed in this paper includes examining the temperature and rainfall trend in Longido District, examine the climate change adaptation measures undertaken by Maasai pastoralist and assessing the role of local institutions in adaptation to climate change. Trends from recorded historical climate data from meteorological stations and the stories from the villagers prove that climate change is real and has adversely affected livestock and general livelihoods of Ketumbeine pastoralist society. Climate change adaptations strategies have helped the pastoral society to ensure availability of water, pasture and treatment of animals although selling of animals to buy food before critical drought season is unavoidable. Local institutions involving government and non-government institutions like World Vision, Maasai Vision Organization (MVO), among others has greatly played role in helping Maasai society to adapt to the impacts of climate change. As intensity of adverse future climate impacts is likely to increase and reduce adaptive capacity, external interventions are required.
Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation Among Pastoralists: Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda
African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation, 2021
This chapter discusses the barriers to climate change adaptation among pastoralists in the Rwenzori region in Western Uganda. Despite the implementation of adaptation programs by public and private agencies, pastoralists still have impediments to adapting to climate change. Data was collected using a household survey involving 269 pastoralists. The results revealed that the main barriers were poor access to climate change information, poor access to extension services, high cost of adaptation measures, poor access to credit, and insecure land tenure. There is need to improve capacity building of extension workers and other stakeholders in the dissemination of climate change information. Land tenure and land rights issues should be given high consideration in climate change adaptation policies and programs. Climate finance programs should be made more effective in addressing the high cost of adaptation.
Vulnerability of agro-pastoral farmers to climate risks in northern and central Tanzania
Agro-pastoral communities have been regulating their livelihood assets in response to global climate change. This paper analyzes the livelihood assets owned by the agro-pastoral communities and how they are used to enhance community resilience so as to reduce vulnerability. Data were collected from 411 agro-pastoralists in five districts of northern and central Tanzania. The analysis was based on indices constructed from carefully selected indicators of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Results indicated that the agro-pastoralists in northern Tanzania were more vulnerable to current climate risks than those of central Tanzania. Therefore, the paper recommends that stakeholders create opportunities for non-farm livelihood options to improve the cash income among agro-pastoralists. ARTICLE HISTORY