Browsing by Author "Tenge, A.J."

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    Farmers’ preferences and physical effectiveness of soil and water conservation measures in the east african highlands
    (JSS, 2011) Tenge, A.J.; Sterk, G.; Okoba, B. O.
    Soil erosion by water is a serious threat to sustainable agricultural production in the East African Highlands. Despite the severity of the soil erosion problem, there is not much quantitative information on the effectiveness of the recommended soil and water conservation (SWC) measures, rendering their planning and adoption difficult. This study was conducted in Kwalei catchment Tanzania to assess the physical effectiveness of bench terraces, grass strips and fanya juu terraces, which are the most important SWC measures used in the East African Highlands. Additional information was collected from Gikuuri catchment in Kenya. Trench ditches (at Gikuuri) and runoff plots (at Kwalei) were used to assess the physical effectiveness, while interviews and group discussions were used to obtain farmers' reasons for preferences of certain SWC measures. The results obtained showed significant effects of the tested SWC measures. Surface runoff and soil loss generally decreased, while soil moisture retention and crop yields improved due to the SWC measures. Fanya juu terraces are the most effective measure in reducing soil and water losses followed by bench terraces and grass strips. However, bench terraces retained more soil moisture and increased maize and bean yields than fanya juu and grass strips. Apart from bio-physical criteria to evaluate SWC measures, farmers have other criteria, which depend on their social and economic situations. Important farmers’ criteria are provision of fodder, fertility improvement and low costs for implementation. To facilitate adoption of SWC measures there is a need for consideration and integration of farmers’ criteria into the planning and design of SWC measures, and implementation of SWC activities. Further research work is recommended for identifying economically feasible SWC measures under different biophysical and socio-economic conditions.
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    Impacts of climate change on traditional irrigation farming systems and adaptation strategies in West Usambara Highlands, Tanzania.
    (2023) Maro, F.L.; Tenge, A.J.
    Climate change is among the challenges to sustainable development due to its effects on major sectors of economy worldwide. However, its impacts differ from one system to another depending on the magnitude, vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the system. This study assessed the impacts of climate change on crop yields in Ndiwa and Chamazi traditional irrigation farming systems and their adaptation strategies. A cross-sectional research design was adopted employing purposive and systematic random sampling to select 380 respondents for this study. Data was collected through household survey, Focus Group Discussion, interviews, observation and documentary reviews. The results showed that, within 42 years (1981-2022), climate change has caused yield decline (maize, beans and irish-potatoes) by 12% to 51% and Maize being the most affected crop. The decrease in crop yield was linked to the decreased amount of water for irrigation and outbreak of crop diseases. Major adaptation strategies adopted as mitigation measures include cultivation closer to water sources (93.8%), early planting (86.9%), crop diversification (72.6%) and digging of shallow wells (58.7%). However, some adaptation strategies are detrimental to the environment. Adaptive capacity of farmers is low to medium. We recommend to improve adaptive capacity of farmers through access to climate information, financial resources, agricultural extension services and improved irrigation infrastructures.