Climate change adaptation strategies through traditional farming practices. The case of Matengo pits in Mbinga District, Tanzania

Abstract

In most of the developing countries, agricultural activities have been practiced under traditional approaches. Majority of the farmers use indigenous knowledge in their farming activities for varying reasons. This study focused on Matengo pits as a traditional climate change adaptation strategy. The main objectives of this paper is to (1) identify the existing traditional agricultural practices, (2) ascertain the trend of climate change (1980- 2021) and (3) evaluate the usefulness of Matengo pits in adapting to climate change. To achieve the research objectives, mixed research approach under descriptive design was used. A total of 133 heads of households were involved in this study. Primary data were collected through questionnaires, structured interviews, focus group discussions and direct observation. Secondary data were collected from published and unpublished documents. The study further used climate data from Tanzania Meteorological Agency on temperature and rainfall variations for the past 41 years (1980-2021). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used to analyze the quantitative data. Simple linear trend analysis was used to establish and test for rainfall and temperature trends. Findings from this study revealed that Matengo pits were among the traditional farming techniques employed in Mbinga district. It was realised that, the area experiences variation in temperatures and rainfall. Results for both minimum and maximum temperature indicate significant increasing trends (P= 0.0032, R2=0.0016; P=0.0101, R2=0.0575). Inversely, archival data from TMA show the decreasing trends of rainfall (P= 0.-04206, R2=0.0007). The findings revealed that the use of Matengo pits contribute positively towards moisture retention, seed germination and amount of yields. The study recommends for adoption of Matengo pits technique in other areas for a sustainable crop production in this era of climate change and variability.