IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i6p4911-d1092847.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Interactions between Farmers’ Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals in Tanzania, East Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Bahati Ally Magesa

    (Department of Geography and Economics (DUCE), University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam 2329, Tanzania
    Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan)

  • Geetha Mohan

    (Center for Far Eastern Studies (CFES), University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0885, Japan)

  • Indrek Melts

    (Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia)

  • Hirotaka Matsuda

    (Department of Agricultural Innovation for Sustainable Society, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan)

  • Jian Pu

    (Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan)

  • Kensuke Fukushi

    (Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations University, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan)

Abstract

This study investigated the potential adaptation measures for farmers in the Mwanga and Same Districts of Tanzania and then assessed their positive and negative interactions towards potential contributions to the selected sustainable development goal (SDG) indicators of no poverty and zero hunger. A total of 200 household surveys were conducted, and 36 participants were interviewed as key informants. Moreover, four focus group discussions were conducted to identify potential adaptation strategies in the studied areas. The literature and expert judgement approaches were used to understand and assess the positive and negative interactions between adaptation strategies and the selected indicators of SDGs. A seven-point scale of SDG interactions was used to determine the interactions between identified adaptation strategies and selected SDG indicators. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis, whereas quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The finding revealed that some of the adaptation strategies (i.e., stream bank crop cultivation, valley bottom crop cultivation, and cultivating crops near water sources) considered potential at the household levels and had strong negative interactions on achieving SDG 2.4.1. Further, most farmers hardly employed strategies (i.e., use of extension officers, concrete irrigation channels, crop insurance schemes, and credit schemes) that had strong positive interactions on the selected SDG indicators. Moreover, most of the identified strategies (i.e., early maturity crops, planting drought-resistant crops, use of improved varieties, mixing improved and local varieties, mixing short and long duration varieties, and crop diversification) are enabling strategies (+1), which, despite their importance, may constrain (−1) the income of small-scale farmers, food security, and poverty reduction. The importance of other strategies (i.e., irrigation infrastructures) must be addressed for better yields and positive impacts. Hence, achieving SDGs 1 and 2 in the studied areas will require the integration of different adaptation strategies that complement each other, and not by promoting only some strategies as used or suggested before. For example, the emphasis on using improved varieties and crop diversification should be complemented by access to credit schemes, irrigation infrastructures, crop insurance, and extension services at the village level.

Suggested Citation

  • Bahati Ally Magesa & Geetha Mohan & Indrek Melts & Hirotaka Matsuda & Jian Pu & Kensuke Fukushi, 2023. "Interactions between Farmers’ Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals in Tanzania, East Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-14, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:6:p:4911-:d:1092847
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/6/4911/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/6/4911/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. András Darabant & Birgit Habermann & Kibruyesfa Sisay & Christopher Thurnher & Yonas Worku & Selamawit Damtew & Mara Lindtner & Leisa Burrell & Abrham Abiyu, 2020. "Correction to: Farmers’ perceptions and matching climate records jointly explain adaptation responses in four communities around Lake Tana, Ethiopia," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(2), pages 1119-1120, November.
    2. András Darabant & Birgit Habermann & Kibruyesfa Sisay & Christopher Thurnher & Yonas Worku & Selamawit Damtew & Mara Lindtner & Leisa Burrell & Abrham Abiyu, 2020. "Farmers’ perceptions and matching climate records jointly explain adaptation responses in four communities around Lake Tana, Ethiopia," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 481-497, November.
    3. Julius Kotir, 2011. "Climate change and variability in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of current and future trends and impacts on agriculture and food security," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 587-605, June.
    4. Craig W. Hutton & Robert J. Nicholls & Attila N. Lázár & Alex Chapman & Marije Schaafsma & Mashfiqus Salehin, 2018. "Potential Trade-Offs between the Sustainable Development Goals in Coastal Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-14, April.
    5. Kifayatullah Kakar & Tran Dang Xuan & Zubair Noori & Shafiqullah Aryan & Gulbuddin Gulab, 2020. "Effects of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer Application on Growth, Yield, and Grain Quality of Rice," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-11, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Emilia Miszewska & Maciej Niedostatkiewicz & Radosław Wiśniewski, 2023. "Sustainable Development of Water Housing Using the Example of Poland: An Analysis of Scenarios," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-16, July.
    2. Devendra Paudel & Ram Chandra Neupane & Sailesh Sigdel & Pradip Poudel & Aditya R. Khanal, 2023. "COVID-19 Pandemic, Climate Change, and Conflicts on Agriculture: A Trio of Challenges to Global Food Security," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-22, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Raissa Sorgho & Isabel Mank & Moubassira Kagoné & Aurélia Souares & Ina Danquah & Rainer Sauerborn, 2020. "“We Will Always Ask Ourselves the Question of How to Feed the Family”: Subsistence Farmers’ Perceptions on Adaptation to Climate Change in Burkina Faso," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-25, October.
    2. Wuliyasu Bai & Liang Yan & Jingbo Liang & Long Zhang, 2022. "Mapping Knowledge Domain on Economic Growth and Water Sustainability: A Scientometric Analysis," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 36(11), pages 4137-4159, September.
    3. Mukherjee, Manisha, 2022. "Climate change and migration: Reviewing the role of access to agricultural adaptation measures," MERIT Working Papers 2022-039, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    4. Jean-Marc MONTAUD, 2019. "Agricultural Drought Impacts on Crops Sector and Adaptation Options in Mali: a Macroeconomic Computable General Equilibrium Analysis," Working Papers 2018-2019_5, CATT - UPPA - Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, revised Feb 2019.
    5. Sanjeev Kumar & Ajay K. Singh, 2023. "Modeling the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity: evidence from Himachal Pradesh, India," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 521-548, June.
    6. Akpoti, Komlavi & Groen, Thomas & Dossou-Yovo, Elliott & Kabo-bah, Amos T. & Zwart, Sander J., 2022. "Climate change-induced reduction in agricultural land suitability of West-Africa's inland valley landscapes," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    7. Anneli Ekblom & Anna Shoemaker & Lindsey Gillson & Paul Lane & Karl-Johan Lindholm, 2019. "Conservation through Biocultural Heritage—Examples from Sub-Saharan Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, January.
    8. Nguyen-Anh, Tuan & Hoang-Duc, Chinh & Tiet, Tuyen & Nguyen-Van, Phu & To-The, Nguyen, 2022. "Composite effects of human, natural and social capitals on sustainable food-crop farming in Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    9. Liboster Mwadzingeni & Raymond Mugandani & Paramu L. Mafongoya, 2021. "Assessing Vulnerability to Climate Change in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes of Zimbabwe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-18, September.
    10. Byela Tibesigwa & Martine Visser & Jane Turpie, 2017. "Climate change and South Africa’s commercial farms: an assessment of impacts on specialised horticulture, crop, livestock and mixed farming systems," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 607-636, April.
    11. Azzarri, Carlo & Signorelli, Sara, 2020. "Climate and poverty in Africa South of the Sahara," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    12. Agossou Gadedjisso-Tossou & Tamara Avellán & Niels Schütze, 2019. "An Economic-Based Evaluation of Maize Production under Deficit and Supplemental Irrigation for Smallholder Farmers in Northern Togo, West Africa," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-11, November.
    13. Admire M. Nyamwanza & Krasposy K. Kujinga, 2017. "Climate change, sustainable water management and institutional adaptation in rural sub-Saharan Africa," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 693-706, April.
    14. Tesfaye C. Cholo & Jack Peerlings & Luuk Fleskens, 2020. "Land Fragmentation, Technical Efficiency, and Adaptation to Climate Change by Farmers in the Gamo Highlands of Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-15, December.
    15. Kelvin Mulungu & Gelson Tembo & Hilary Bett & Hambulo Ngoma, 2021. "Climate change and crop yields in Zambia: historical effects and future projections," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 11859-11880, August.
    16. Saidia, Paul S. & Asch, Folkard & Kimaro, Anthony A. & Germer, Jorn & Kahimba, Frederick C. & Graef, Frieder & Semoka, Johnson M.R. & Rweyemamu, Cornel L., 2019. "Soil moisture management and fertilizer micro-dosing on yield and land utilization efficiency of inter-cropping maize-pigeon-pea in sub humid Tanzania," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 1-1.
    17. K. B. Waldman & S. Z. Attari & D. B. Gower & S. A. Giroux & K. K. Caylor & T. P. Evans, 2019. "The salience of climate change in farmer decision-making within smallholder semi-arid agroecosystems," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 527-543, October.
    18. Isabel Gallego-Álvarez & Mª Galindo-Villardón & Miguel Rodríguez-Rosa, 2015. "Analysis of the Sustainable Society Index Worldwide: A Study from the Biplot Perspective," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 120(1), pages 29-65, January.
    19. Zhipeng Wang & Ershen Zhang & Guojun Chen, 2023. "Spatiotemporal Variation and Influencing Factors of Grain Yield in Major Grain-Producing Counties: A Comparative Study of Two Provinces from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-30, September.
    20. Fanta F. Jabbi & Yu’e Li & Tianyi Zhang & Wang Bin & Waseem Hassan & You Songcai, 2021. "Impacts of Temperature Trends and SPEI on Yields of Major Cereal Crops in the Gambia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-19, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:6:p:4911-:d:1092847. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.