Impact of climate variability and change on the livelihood of the barbaig pastoral community in Hanang district, Tanzania

Climate variability and change has resulted to several impacts on the globe, in this regard, this paper seek to address the impact of climate variability and change on the livelihood of the Barbaig Pastoral community and identify strategies they use to adopt and cope with change effects. The study was conducted in selected villages of Hanang district. A sample size of 110 respondents was subjected to structured and semi-structured interviews. In addition, field observation, focus group discussion and documentary review were used to collect the required data.

Results indicated that, drought being among the major impact resulted from climate variability and change has significantly led to the food insecurity, water shortage and insufficient animal pastures. These have resulted in the migration of pastoralists seeking for greener pastures and water, diversification of economic activities and changing livestock type. This study recommends several strategies such as capacity building to the Barbaig Pastoral Community, integrating climate change problem into development priorities and planning for climate change adoption strategies.