Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security in Agroecological Zones of Tanzania

Abstract

AbstractAgricultural sustainability is crucial for developing countries, including Tanzania whose economy and food security entirely depend on agriculture. Tanzania has seven agro-ecological zones with different potentials and challenges to attain agricultural sustainability. These agro-ecological zones are coastal, arid, semi-arid, plateau, southern and western highlands, northern highlands, and alluvial. To attain agricultural sustainability and food security in the country, it is essential to explore biophysical, economic and social dimensions. This chapter reviews the climatic situation, agricultural potentials and agronomic practices. Arid and semi-arid zones are more vulnerable to environmental stress, especially climate change, than plateau, alluvial, and northern and southern highlands. Efficient agricultural sustainability has increased peoples’ income and food security in resilient agroecological zones by 50%, and by 10% in vulnerable zones. This has eventually improved the livelihoods of the people in resilient agro-ecological zones, and has allowed cultivation of few crop varieties such as sorghum and millet in vulnerable zones. Areas with the best agronomic practices such as animal manure fertilization have increased crop yields from 0.75 to 1.95 tons ha−1. As a result, this yield increment has improved the livelihoods of about 70% of Tanzanian farmers who entirely depend in agriculture.KeywordsAgricultural sustainabilityAgro-ecological zonesClimate changeCrop yieldsFood securityNutrient use efficiencyOrganic fertilizationsSmallholder farmersSoils fertilityTanzania