Is conservation agriculture ‘climate-smart’ for maize farmers in the highlands of Tanzania?

Kimaro, Anthony A.; Mpanda, Mathew; Rioux, Janie; Aynekulu, Ermias; Shaba, Samuel; Thiong’o, Margaret; Mutuo, Patrick K.; Abwanda, Sheila; Shepherd, Keith D.; Neufeldt, Henry; Rosenstock, Todd S.

doi:10.1007/s10705-015-9711-8

Cited by 81 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Producers control the distribution of nutrients through the same means as mono-specific growers and ranchers such as the application of inorganic and organic fertilizers and composts, growing trees, recycling of wastes, and improving animal diets which all have known benefits for improving productivity, water and nutrient use efficiency, and reducing GHG intensity of production (Kimaro et al 2015;Barton et al 2004;Zingore et al 2007). A key feature of nutrient management in mixed farming is that farmers transfer nutrient-rich materials -manure, residues, feeds -between production activities.…”

Section: Nutrient Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Qualitative Evaluation of CSA Options in Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems in Developing Countries

Thornton

Rosenstock

Förch³

et al. 2017

Natural Resource Management and Policy

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The mixed crop-livestock systems of the developing world will become increasingly important for meeting the food security challenges of the coming decades. The synergies and trade-offs between food security, adaptation, and mitigation objectives are not well studied, however. Comprehensive evaluations of the costs and benefits, and the synergies and trade-offs, of different options in developing-country mixed systems do not exist as yet.Here we summarise what we know about the climate smartness of different alternatives in the mixed croplivestock systems in developing countries, based on published literature supplemented by a survey of experts. We discuss constraints to the uptake of different interventions and the potential for their adoption, and highlight some of the technical and policy implications of current knowledge and knowledge gaps.

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Section: Nutrient Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Qualitative Evaluation of CSA Options in Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems in Developing Countries

Thornton

Rosenstock

Förch³

et al. 2017

Natural Resource Management and Policy

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“…The CSA includes, but is limited to, conservation agriculture, irrigation, and the use of drought resistant crop cultivars [32][33][34][35]. Kimaro et al [31] recommends the use of CSA practices as a strategy to optimize yields under the auspice of climate stress along the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania; however, most of these practices have not yet met the required demand of farmers in the area, thus far, much efforts should be done to make CSA beneficial and sustainable from local to national level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Rainfall and Temperature Really Changing? Farmer’s Perceptions, Meteorological Data, and Policy Implications in the Tanzanian Semi-Arid Zone

Mkonda

2017

Sustainability

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Abstract:Although various climate models, statistical crop models and economic simulations have been established to determine the level of farmers' vulnerability, there has been little systematic assessment of farmers' perception towards climate change in association with meteorological analyses and policy implications in Tanzania. The results from this assessment will enhance the formation of robust policies that improve resilient livelihoods and the capacity to adapt to climate change and variability. This paper seeks to (i) reveal the farmers' perception on variation, change of rainfall, and temperature in the Tanzanian semi-arid area; (ii) depict meteorological evidence for the perceived rainfall and temperature changes; (iii) assess the policy perception and responses for the changing climate; and (iv) discuss the correlation between farmers' perception and meteorological data. Household surveys, informative interviews and discussions were employed during data collection. The Mann-Kendall Test and SPSS (version 20) were used for climate data analyses, while qualitative data were thematically analyzed. The results showed that from 1980 to 2015 the mean annual rainfall decreased ( R 2 = 0.21) while temperature increased (R 2 = 0.30). Even though majority farmers agreed with these results, they had not yet taken serious measures to curb the situation. Besides, Agricultural Policy has lightly addressed and enforced the implementations of adaptation strategies to reduce climate impacts and vulnerability. Thereby, creation of awareness and intensification of climate adaptation strategies is needed at both farm and policy level.

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“…In the midst of this vain, Kimaro et al [23], Mtengeti et al [24], Mongi et al [25], Yanda et al [26] and Paavola [27] reported that climate change impacts and poor management of environmental resources were the major cause of that food shortage and therefore, all necessary and sustainable measures should be taken into serious consideration to curb them. During food shortage, there has been a tendency of the farmers blaming the government for not giving them subsides and aids while the government reverse the blames to them for not copping with the drought.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yields of the Major Food Crops: Implications to Food Security and Policy in Tanzania’s Semi-Arid Agro-Ecological Zone

Mkonda

2017

Sustainability

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While Tanzania has been facing food shortage for some decades, little efforts have been made to elicit optimal crop yields. To limit this problem, there is a need for a robust agricultural policy that aims at stabilizing agricultural production and socio-economic entitlement among the farmers. The present study analyses the production trend of maize, sorghum and millet (i.e., staple food crops) under rain fed agriculture in Kongwa District, the semi-arid agro-ecological zone of Central Tanzania, and envisage their implications to food security and policy. We collected a set of crop data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. In addition, 400 respondents were sampled randomly in the study area during household survey while a series of interviews and discussions were conducted mostly basing on the expertise. The Mann-Kendall Test and Microsoft excel (window 13) and theme content methods were employed for data analyses. The results showed that the production trends for maize, sorghum and millet yields have been decreasing at R 2 = 0.40, 0.35 and 0.11 respectively and this trend was supported by 80% of the respondents. This decrease was greatly influenced by the temporal decrease in the mean annual rainfall (R 2 = 0.21). The diminishing production trend has already decreased food security for 30% in the area. Since agricultural policy can be among the main sources of this poor yields, an explicit and sound agricultural policy should be the central aspect in planning and implementing agricultural activities.

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Is conservation agriculture ‘climate-smart’ for maize farmers in the highlands of Tanzania?

Cited by 81 publications

References 34 publications

A Qualitative Evaluation of CSA Options in Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems in Developing Countries

A Qualitative Evaluation of CSA Options in Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems in Developing Countries

Are Rainfall and Temperature Really Changing? Farmer’s Perceptions, Meteorological Data, and Policy Implications in the Tanzanian Semi-Arid Zone

Yields of the Major Food Crops: Implications to Food Security and Policy in Tanzania’s Semi-Arid Agro-Ecological Zone

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