This paper combines farmers' perceptions of climate variability and change and meteorological data trends to generate empirical evidence to broaden an understanding of the phenomena. The results show an agreement on changing rainfall patterns. Bad years described by drought frequencies, temperature, and dry spell have increased since the 1970s. Crop growing period has decreased by one month in Meatu and by more than a month in Iramba. As hypothesised, the Mann-Whitney U test shows similar men and women's perceptions at 5% level of significance (P value = 0.701). Similarly, the Kruskal-Wallis H test indicates that the poor, not so poor and the rich have the same perceptions (P value = 0.281). These results have implications on crop and livestock production systems and on livelihoods more generally. We conclude that climate variability and change manifestations overlap, making it a complex phenomena perceived equally by men, women, the poor and non-poor. This is understood holistically by combining farmers' perceptions and meteorological data trends to inform adaptation strategies related decision making.
Small-scale crop production in many parts of Tanzania is constrained by many problems among which soil fertility degradation is a major problem.Over 80% of cassava (Manihot esculenta) production in Tanzania is done by the small-scale farmers who continuously cultivate their fields, but use limited inputs to restore depleted plant nutrients. The objective of this study was to examine the best legume species that could be incorporated in cassava (Manihot esculenta) production systems under farmers' conditions and result in increase in soil fertility and crop yields. Mucuna pruriens and Canavalia ensiformis were either incorporated with cassava (Manihot esculenta) or planted as sole crop in rotation with cassava. Mucuna pruriens and Canavalia ensiformis were found to produce almost similar amount of biomass. The two legumes, however, produced higher biomass in rotation than intercropping system. The amount of biomass produced by Mucuna pruriens and Canavalia ensiformis in rotation system was 6.28 t•ha ). Intercropping and rotation of cassava with legumes increase cassava yield and represent a sustainable alternative to reduce the farms' dependence on external inputs and to enhance inherent soil fertility.
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