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Challenges of Adaptation to Climate Change for Cassava Farming in Musoma, Rural District, Tanzania

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Challenges of Adaptation to Climate Change for Cassava Farming in Musoma, Rural District, Tanzania International Journal of Modern Social Sciences, 2016, 5(1): 52-65 International Journal of Modern Social Sciences ISSN: 2169-9917 Journal homepage: www.ModernScientificPress.com/Journals/IJMSS.aspx Florida, USA Article Challenges of Adaptation to Climate Change for Cassava Farming in Musoma, Rural District, Tanzania Ahmad Kanyama1 and Josiah John 2,* 1Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Dodoma, P.O. Box 395, Dodoma 2 Department of Education, Musoma Municipality, P.O Box, 731, Musoma * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected] Article history: Received 16 January 2016, Received in revised form 25 March 2016, Accepted 2 April 2016, Published 8 April 2016. Abstract: This paper examines the challenges of adaptation to climate change and variability for cassava farming in Musoma, Rural District. Specifically the paper examines (i) the perception of households and key informants on the rainfall and temperature variability in the study area, (ii) the impact of rainfall and temperature variability on cassava production, (iii) coping strategies to improve cassava yields and (iv) challenges faced in adapting to climate change and variability. Data collection methods included literature review, household questionnaire survey, key informants interviews, focus group interviews and participant observations. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and content analysis techniques was used in the analysis and processing of quantitative and qualitative data. The findings showed that there was rainfall and temperature variability in the form of decreasing rainfall trend and increasing temperature trend. This led to decreased cassava yields which affected livelihoods of the farmers. Farmers applied different agricultural adaptation measure to cope with decreased cassava yields, however, results were poor due to several challenges like poor implementation of policies and lack of adequate climate change policies to combat drought. This paper recommends that the government should put a renewed effort in coordinating strategies that are directly linked to climate change and variability policies in all sectors to overcome social, economic, and cultural barriers that affect agriculture to improve cassava yields. Copyright © 2016 by Modern Scientific Press Company, Florida, USA Int. J. Modern Soc. Sci., 2016, 5(1): 52-65 53 Keywords: Adaptation, Climate change, Rainfall and Temperature variability, Adaptation, Cassava, Musoma Rural District. 1. Introduction Climate change and variability has posed great challenges on small scale farmers around the world (IAASTD, 2009). Cassava is a major staple for more than 500 million people in Africa (El- Sharkawy, 2004). It is the crop with the highest total production in Africa, with 118 million MT of productions across the continent in 2010, contributing significant energy input to the population with an average 196 kcal/capita/day in 2008 (FAO, 2010). In Tanzania cassava contributes, on the average, 15% in the national food production basket and provides a source of income to large numbers of the people who grow and market in rural and urban communities (Mtambo, 2007). Main cassava producing areas in Tanzania include, the coastal strip along the Indian Ocean producing 48% of cassava, areas around Lake Victoria producing 23.7% of cassava, areas around Lake Tanganyika producing 7.9% of cassava and areas along the shores of Lake Nyasa producing 13.7% of cassava in Tanzania (Mkamilo and Jeremiah, 2005). Cassava is renowned for its drought tolerance and hardiness in stressful environments (El-Sharkawy, 2004). However, in Tanzania, cassava has been affected by climate change in many producing areas (Joseph and Adanme, 2012; Mtambo, 2007) including Musoma district where climate change has led to decline in production of cassava (URT, 2007; Kavia et al., 2007). Adaptation to climate change with regard to cassava in Tanzania has been practiced in various ways, such as growing drought tolerant cassava genotype crops, developing ways of prediction weather, improving market as well as commercializes the products (Mkamilo and Jeremiah, 2005). Smallholder farmers in Musoma district have been changing planting date according to changing weather situation, mixed cropping and planting short drought tolerant crops such as maize and millet (URT, 2008). In supporting these efforts, the Government has formulated different policies, programs and actions such as accelerate uptake of climate smart agriculture, improve agricultural water and land management, protect the most vulnerable against climate-related shocks in responses to climate change on crop production (URT, 2014,). However, existing climate change variability in Tanzania makes it difficult to generalize about the impacts of, and adaptation for climate change for different parts of Tanzania (URT, 2007). This study assesses the challenges of adaptation to climate change for cassava production in Musoma district. More specifically, this study assess i) People’s perception on the variability of two attributes of climate change in the in the study area namely, rainfall and temperature ii), the impact of rainfall and temperature variability on cassava production, iii), Coping strategies to Copyright © 2016 by Modern Scientific Press Company, Florida, USA Int. J. Modern Soc. Sci., 2016, 5(1): 52-65 54 improve cassava production, and iv), the challenges faced in adapting to climate change to increase cassava yields. 2. Study Area The study was conducted in Musoma rural District, one of the eight districts of Mara region in Northern Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Musoma Urban Districts, to the east by the Butiama District, to the south by the Bunda District and to the west by Lake Victoria. It is located at an elevation of 1,292 meters above sea level. Its coordinates are 1°45'0" S and 33°49'60" E in DMS (Degrees Minutes Seconds) or -1.75 and 33.8333 (in decimal degrees). The district has averaged rainfall 650 mm annually, high average Temperature 28 ºC and low average temperature 18 ºC (Musoma Rural District Council, 2014). The study was specifically carried out in the wards of Nyakatende and Mugango in Musoma rural District which were hit by temperature and rainfall variability presumed to have affected agriculture production notably for smallholder farmers (URT, 2010). According to Musoma Rural District Executive office, the overall district population in 2015 was 330,953 of which 159,326 were male, and 171,627 were female. According to the Ward executive officers, Nyakatende ward had 22,527 people, while Mugango ward had 16,086 people, making a total of 25,066 people in the two wards. Nyakatende had 3,884 household and Mugango ward had 2,637 household (ibid). The two wards made a total of 6,521 households. 3. Methodology Data collection methods included literature review, household questionnaire survey, key informants interviews and participant observations. Questionnaires and interviews were used to obtain both qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data was obtained from household survey while qualitative data was obtained from direct observation, focus group discussion and key informant interviews. Secondary data was obtained from published books and reports, unpublished reports, maps, journals and web sites. Of the total 6521 households in the two wards of Nyakatende and Mugango, 153 households were involved for questionnaire survey, 91 households for Nyakatende and 62 households for Mugango. The sample size was obtained using the the formula below (Yamane, 1967): N n 1 N(e2 ) Nyakatande ward is made up of five villages and Mugango wards is made up of three villages. The distribution of households’ respondents in village appears as shown in Table 1 below: Copyright © 2016 by Modern Scientific Press Company, Florida, USA Int. J. Modern Soc. Sci., 2016, 5(1): 52-65 55 Table 1: Distribution of Household respondents in each village Villages Kabegi Kigera Kamguruki Kiemba Nyakatende Kuruaki Nyang’oma Kwibara Total H. Sample 12 41 8 19 11 7 14 41 153 Percent (%) 7.8 26.8 5.2 12.4 7.2 4.6 9.2 26.8 100 Source: Field data, 2015 Interviews were conducted with 15 key informants. Those involved were involving 2 ward executive officers, 2 village executive officers, 3 village leaders, 2 members of food committee, and 3 agriculture extension officers (see Table 2). Focus group discussion (FGD) was carried out in respective wards involving 8 households’ respondents organised by Ward Executive Officers. The data from interviews and FGD supplemented data obtained from questionnaires. Observation was carried out to complement other methods such as questionnaires and interviews. Transect walk was carried with a villager with experience in the area showing the effect of climate change on cassava crop and observing the dynamics of adaptation to climate change in the area. Through transect walk, it was possible to observe and records enough relevant information necessary for the study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 16.0) tool was used to compute mean, display frequency distribution and percentage and for drawing histograms. Cross tabulation was used to obtain the relationship between variables and qualitative data was analysed using structural-functional and content analysis. Table 2: Distribution of key informant Title DAO WAEO WEO VEO VCP VEL Total No. of key informant 1 2 2 4 3 3 15 Percentage (%) 6.7 13.3 13.3 26.7 20 20 100 Note:, DAO-District Agricultural Officer,
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