Towards Holistic Mobile Climate Services for Farmers in Tambuu, Tanzania

Abstract

Climate change and changing climate variability are pressing problems that need urgent solutions, now! Climate change has global consequences, and is already being experienced, mainly by the most vulnerable groups of people in the global south. Research shows that farming activities in the global south are being complicated by added uncertainties in weather. To mitigate the effect of weather uncertainties, there is a need for holistic mobile climate services. We have taken the first step towards the service by finding out the local information needs and current mobile usage patterns in Tambuu village, Tanzania. The results show that climate change is already complicating farmers' lives and therefore they have urgent need for information on how to prepare and adapt to changing conditions. From the technology perspective, the domination of voice calls and short messages in the current mobile usage limits the adoption of new services. However, modern uses of smart devices for farming activities were also found. Building on this ground, we propose designing climate service prototypes together with local farmers and other relevant stakeholders.

Design science research for learning software engineering and computational thinking: Four cases

“…This was the main goal of this ambitious DSR project. Indeed, climate change is already complicating lives and therefore there is an urgent need for information on how to prepare and adapt to changing conditions [62].…”

“…Other crucial information needs include information on agricultural practices and training on methods. The acute information needs may be summarised as follows [62]: Credible and trustworthy weather information Knowledge in best uses of weather information Education about best farming practices Farming inputs (seeds, fertilisers, equipment) Soil management tips and soil‐testing service Financial services and marketing skills…”

Research in Progress: Holistic Climate Service Prototypes for Farmers in Tambuu, Tanzania

“…Our previous research [14] shows that the farmers in Tambuu village have experienced the impacts of climate change. The farmers' experiences of changing climate patterns were found to be well aligned with measurements done by the Tanzanian Meteorological Agency (TMA) [14]. Research shows that scenarios for future rainfall vary a lot [17].…”

“…Research shows that scenarios for future rainfall vary a lot [17]. The only certain thing is that uncertainty about amount, duration, and timing of rain will increase [14]. In addition to climate related acute information needs, several other information needs were also found, including information about agricultural practices and training to use them properly.…”

“…This paper reports second phase of our project, which initiated climate service prototype development. This work is based on results of our previous research about needs and priorities of Tambuu community, Tanzania [14]. These developed climate services would assist smallholder farmers in adapting to climate change, and will help steer their development in a sustainable direction.…”