Farm based adaptation strategies to climate change among smallholder farmers in Manyoni District, Tanzania

Climate change is a global challenge to both sustainable livelihoods and economic development. In Tanzania farming depends almost entirely on rainfall, a situation that makes agriculture vulnerable to climate change. This study investigated the adaptation strategies adopted by smallholder farmers in Manyoni District. The specific objectives were to determine the adaptation strategies by smallholder famers and examine adaptation strategies by socio-demographic factors. The study adopted cross-sectional design. Multistage sampling technique was adopted to randomly select four wards, eight villages and 240 respondents; 30 from each village. Primary and secondary data were collected. Data were collected using questionnaire survey and FGDs. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis whereas quantitative data analysis was done using SPSS for descriptive statistics. Adaptation strategies were shifting cultivation, staggered cropping, cultivation of short time crops and cultivating drought resistant crops. The identified adaptation strategies were mainly selected by majority of those who owned land, and most of them were those who had non-formal education. The study concludes that the adaptation strategies that were mainly adopted were farm-based. Majority of the smallholder farmers with non-formal education were the ones that had adapted. Most (69.6%) of the respondents with non-formal education adopted the soil fertility improvement practice. Also many of the identified adaptation strategies were identified by the respondents that were 51 years old and above. Most of those with above three acres were the ones that responded to have adapted and that majority that practiced the adaptation strategies owned land. The study recommends intensification of farm based adaptation strategies for a more sustained adaptation. It also recommends sensitization of smallholder farmers for proper household land use plan by District Council organs so that farmers can make proper land use decisions for proper adaptation strategies.