Perceived effects of tree planting in Iringa and Njombe regions Tanzania

Angular leaf spot caused by Pseudocercospora griseola is the most destructive disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L) in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania (SHT). The objectives of this study were to assess the farming system and farmers awareness in the ALS disease prone environments of the SHT. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect information from 238 respondents sampled from Mbeya, Njombe, Iringa and Rukwa regions. Data collected included population demography, production constraints, and indicators of poverty. The results showed that ALS widely occurred in the SHT but farmers were not aware of the disease and sources of inocula. Most of the respondents were poor with average yields of less than 500 kg ha-1. Lack of knowledge on ALS disease and the presence of favorable environmental conditions increased chances of P. griseola proliferation. Therefore, trainings on awareness and intensification of extension services is important. Breeding for durable resistance is an overriding consideration towards increasing bean productivity in the SHT.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the information needs and accessibility for fish farmers in the Southern high lands of Tanzania.Design/methodology/approachBoth quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 240 fish farmers in six selected districts from three regions in Southern high lands of Tanzania. Focus groups and key informants’ interviews were also used to collect qualitative data from 54 fish farmers in the selected districts.FindingsFindings indicated that fish farmers highly needed information related to water treatment (management), spawning operations and fish preservation and processing. However, it was found that access to these categories of information was very low. In addition, findings indicated that age, education and income have a statistical significant and positive relationship with farmer’s information accessibility at p < 0.05. On the other hand, age, amount of fish harvested, education and farming experience had statistical significant and negative relationship with farmer’s information at p < 0.05.Originality/valueThe study provides a deep understanding of information needs and accessibility for fish farmers in the in Southern high lands of Tanzania, which will be assisting in in designing focused, need-based and user-oriented information infrastructure in fish farming.

This paper draws on a study conducted in the selected districts of Iringa and Njombe regions in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania where over the past decade Non-industrial Private Forestry (NIPF) has emerged involving village-based domestic investors. Data for the study were largely collected using focus group discussions (FGDs) of men and women tree growers. Data were analysed using content analysis focusing on the emerging themes, subthemes, and patterns. The paper shows that gender division of labour characterizes silvicultural practices in private forestry. Men play a key and dominant role in decision making on the allocation of labour and marketing of timber. We argue that, given this arrangement, as long as men continue to dominate the market sphere, mere ownership of woodlots by women is not a feasible pathway to having control over income obtained from the sales of timber from their woodlots. To address this, the paper comes up with some recommendations.

BackgroundLiving in an area experiencing economic and social deprivation is a known risk factor to poor mental health and wellbeing. There is considerable need to prevent poor mental health outcomes...

One of the key underlying principles of sustainable food and agriculture systems is to enhance the resilience of people, communities, and ecosystems. This paper discusses broadly the intersection of community resiliency and sustainability of our food system through the lens of positive and negative contributions of aquaculture within the context of the underlying environmental, economic, social, and governance dimensions. Aquaculture has been part of the food supply system for humans for millennia, and its contributions to the resiliency of communities and to sustainability is critical to meet the nutritional, economic, and ecological challenges of the world. Aquaculture, as any human endeavor, can result in negative impacts on the environment, economy, social structure, and resilience of communities. Recent work has reported continued progress in the sustainability of aquaculture and dispelled myths that have proliferated in public media. As a result, aquaculture is increasingly viewed as a potential solution to global challenges of supplying a sustainably raised protein source, complementing fishing and other activities in communities, improving water quality, and responding to climate change, among others. Communities face ever more complex pressures that affect their resiliency when confronted with an array of environmental, social, and economic challenges. Whether aquaculture enhances or decreases the resilience of communities depends largely on the regulatory framework and associated public governance policies at local, state/provincial and national levels. In locales where aquaculture is under-regulated, communities can be affected negatively from resulting environmental, economic, and social problems. Over-regulation of aquaculture can stifle aquaculture activities that enhance ecosystem services and provide social and economic benefits. Greater attention is needed to aquaculture governance and regulatory processes to ensure that rulemaking, implementation, and enforcement provide adequate oversight, but avoid unintended negative consequences to the environment, social networks, and local economies. Participatory approaches that entail effective engagement among regulatory agency staff, aquaculture producers, local citizens, and other stakeholders are more effective than command-and-control regulatory approaches. Aquaculture, when practiced responsibly and sustainably by farmers and when appropriate science-based regulations are implemented rationally and efficiently, can enhance the resiliency of communities.

This study aimed at exploring the land-related issues and small scale private forestry in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Specifically, the study determined management and conflicts over land. In methodology, the study applied a cross-section research design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A sample size of 100 participants were involved in the description of 80 small-scale tree growers and 20 actors (local government, NGOs and investors). Besides, data collection was done by using questionnaire and in-depth interview. Analysis for quantitative data was done descriptively, additionally inferential analysis involved a Binary regression analysis with a chi-square (X2). The qualitative data were analyzed by using a content analysis. The results indicate that land-related issues is associated by; lack of transparency in land acquisition, inadequate security tenure, weak government administration and conflicting policies. All these factors causing conflicts over land. The study concludes that land-related issues affect small scale tree growers. The study recommends that the government and other actors should add efforts to avoid land-related issues at the community level.

Integrating emerging and existing renewable energy technologies into a community-scale microgrid in an energy-water nexus for resilience improvement

Synopsis This article examines the effects ofinsufficient availability of planting material on farmers' tree planting in the southern highlands ofTanzania. Patterns in scale of farmers' tree planting, species preferences, and experienced availability of planting material are investigated and compared with past sources of germplasm and with existing local nursery capacity. Different aspects of insufficient access to germplasm and possibilities for improving the germ plasm supply situation are discussed. The study is based on interviews in 38 villages of356 farmers and 161 key-informants and visits to nine nurseries. Most farmers in the southern highlands of Tanzania plant significant numbers of trees and tree planting is an integral part offarming systems. Main purposes of tree planting are fuelwood, timber in a broad sense, and fruit production. People want to plant well-known species, which in most cases are exotics, and many species, popular among professionals, e.g. indigenous and multipurpose trees, are not requested by farmers. Lack of planting material is the main constraint to tree planting, and although small private or village-based nurseries are now being established, they are still few and capacities are far below demands. Nurseries mainly raise species with seed locally available, and many species, preferred by farmers, especially fruit trees, are not produced. Currently, most nursery owners are not able or willing to pay for seed. An improved supply of seedlings and seed must be economically sustainable at local level and there is a need for widespread promotion oflow-tech, low-input nursery production and an improved seed supply based on local seed sources.

Purpose Living in an area experiencing economic and social disadvantage is a known risk factor to poor mental health and well-being. This paper aims to understand how some communities experiencing disadvantage appear to be more resilient to the enduring challenges they face and display better mental health outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study approach was used. Semi-structured interviews (total = 74) were undertaken remotely with residents (n = 39) and voluntary, community and social enterprise groups, community leaders and other local stakeholders (n = 35) in four case study areas. Data analysis was cross-case, thematic analysis. Community analysis workshops (n = 4) and resilience mapping workshops (n = 4) in each site corroborated emerging insights. Findings Four overlapping and interacting themes support community resilience: community hubs and local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) networks; opportunities to participate and make connections within communities; open and supportive environments to talk about mental health and well-being; and community identities and collective narratives. Differences in access to these resources was a cross-cutting theme. Originality/value Community resilience can be understood in terms of the amount of resources – articulated in terms of capital – that communities can draw on in response to challenges, and how well these resources are mobilised. A thriving VCSE sector is important for community resilience in communities experiencing disadvantage as a mechanism for both sustainably building and mobilising community resources in the face of daily and enduring challenges.

Ensuring food security and increasing crop production in the face of climate change and environmental obstacles pose a pressing concern for smallholder farmers in the southern highlands of Tanzania. Through a combined approach of qualitative and quantitative data collection methods—which includes key informant interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and household surveys—this paper examines the methods employed by smallholder farmers to bolster resilience and reduce vulnerability to environmental shifts. The results suggest that climate change exerts effects on both the village farming system and households by the following percentages of impact: food shortages (38.7% village/farming system, 29.0% household); infestation of uncommon pests (30.6% village/farming system, 27.4% household); diminishing rainfall/drought (22.6% village/farming system, 17.7% household); and crop failure (24.2% village/farming system, 29.0% household). The household farming methods practised by farmers encompass a range of strategies that include: agroforestry (37.1% adoption rate), which promotes the interspersing of trees with crops to enhance biodiversity and provide ecosystem services; and zero/minimum tillage (9.7%) practices, which reduce soil erosion and improve soil health. The challenges smallholder farmers face in adapting to climate change include the lack of appropriate tools, unfamiliarity with techniques, and inadequate support: all of which exacerbate the uncertainty surrounding the future of farmers and agriculture. By building adaptive capacity and promoting climate-smart agricultural practices, the region can improve food security, reduce vulnerability, and enhance the livelihoods of farming communities. Sustained efforts should prioritize smallholder farmers’ active participation and empowerment in climate change adaptation initiatives.

The forest-based bioeconomy plays an important role in the transition towards a bio-based economy, also offering solutions for mitigating global climate change. Tanzania has seen a swift expansion of commercial tree growing, especially in the Southern Highlands, since the early 2000s. The increasing demand for timber has attracted both resident inhabitants and small and medium-scale investors from elsewhere to exploit this new investment opportunity. The spread of highly fire-sensitive eucalyptus and pine plantations has radically altered the fire regime in the landscape. The underlying driving forces of forest fires are related to ambiguous and conflicting social processes in land management. We conducted field data collection in the Iringa and Njombe regions to study these uncertainties, mapping a wide array of interpretations related to small and medium-scale plantation forestry in general and to forest fires specifically. Our research methods incorporated individual interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and direct observations. The smallholder farmers, urban-based investors, large forest companies and other actors share a common interest in mitigating the impacts of destructive forest fires, yet ambiguity exists in how to manage these fires. This results in a scenario in which both interest in and resources for firefighting are limited. We encourage the co-creation of well-defined, transparent village fire management committees and village fire funds to ensure localised and efficient fire management.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from satellite-derived remote sensing data for monitoring rodent abundance in semi-arid areas of Tanzania. We hypothesized that NDVI could potentially complement rainfall in predicting rodent abundance spatially and temporally. NDVI were determined across habitats with different vegetation types in Isimani landscape, Iringa Region, in the southern highlands of Tanzania. Normalized differences in reflectance between the red (R) (0.636–0.673 mm) and near-infrared (NIR) (0.851–0.879 mm) channels of the electromagnetic spectrum from the Landsat 8 [Operational Land Imager (OLI)] sensor were obtained. Rodents were trapped in a total of 144 randomly selected grids each measuring 100 × 100 m2, for which the corresponding values of NDVI were recorded during the corresponding rodent trapping period. Raster analysis was performed by transformation to establish NDVI in study grids over the entire study area. The relationship between NDVI, rodent distribution and abundance both spatially and temporally during the start, mid and end of the dry and wet seasons was established. Linear regression model was used to evaluate the relationships between NDVI and rodent abundance across seasons. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) at p ≤ 0.05 was carried out to describe the degree of association between actual and NDVI-predicted rodent abundances. The results demonstrated a strong linear relationship between NDVI and actual rodent abundance within grids (R2 = 0.71). NDVI-predicted rodent abundance showed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.99) with estimated rodent abundance. These results support the hypothesis that NDVI has the potential for predicting rodent population abundance under smallholder farming agro-ecosystems. Hence, NDVI could be used to forecast rodent abundance within a reasonable short period of time when compared with sparse and not widely available rainfall data.

The Middle and Later Stone Age in the Iringa Region of southern Tanzania

Agriculture plays a unique role in reducing poverty and is an important engine for growth in developing countries, especially Tanzania. This is, in part, due to the large numbers of poor people engaged in it; the sector employs 80% of Tanzanians. For years, poor farmers have faced difficulties marketing their produce. They are often forced to sell their produce at very low prices because they have little, or no choice about whom they sell to or at what price. Farmers have been disconnected from consumers and policy-makers. Mobile phones can be used as great facilitators in agricultural marketing by providing connectivity between farmers and buyers. Unfortunately, prior studies indicated that mobile phones have been used merely for social communication and not for business purposes by many people living in rural areas. The study used Unified Theory of Usage and Acceptance of Technology (UTUAT) to identify determinants for the acceptance and use of mobile phone technology for agricultural marketing in Tanzania. This study was conducted in Iringa; Southern Highlands of Tanzania. It involved 250 farmer households. Performance Expectancy (β=.227), Social Influence (β=.295) and Facilitating Conditions (β=.318), were found to uniquely, significantly and positively influence the prediction of behaviour intention to accept and use a mobile phone for agricultural marketing. Influence of effort expectancy was significant when moderated by experience, meaning farmers with relative higher experience in using mobile phones are more sensitive to the effort needed to use technology than those with little experience.

We set out to unveil gender inequality with respect to women’s access to family land following the surge in tree-planting in selected villages in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Specifically, the study describes land-transaction procedures at the household level and shows how the lack of women’s involvement in such land transactions affect their access to and control over family lands. Gender inequality is portrayed in a variety of social and economic activities, with women being deprived of access to, control over, and ownership of land. Although the current land laws address gender inequalities pertaining to women’s access to, ownership of, and control over land, the impact of such reforms has been minimal. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence, we reveal how women suffer symbolic violence through traditional practices of land management and administration. Societies in the studied villages are strongly patriarchal, with men being dominant and women subordinate. In such a patriarchal system, women’s empowerment is urgent. Women require knowledge and awareness of the laws and regulations that affirm their rights not only to family lands, but also to participation in decision-making processes regarding family assets. We recommend non-oppressive approaches to natural-resource management. As such, we call for existing authorities at the village and district levels, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and legal bodies to promote gender equality in land-management practices. We also advocate dialectical communication between women and men in order to reveal and heal practices of symbolic violence, and enhance gender equality in respect of access to land and its control and ownership in villages in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Effective implementation of existing land laws and regulations that address gender inequality and associated violence is unavoidable.