Adoption of Multiple Climate Smart Agricultural Practices in Mbeya and Songwe Regions in Tanzania

Abstract

Climate change is the leading global problem which affects agricultural development and household food security. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is one of the approaches developed by FAO to address the impact of climate change through increasing agriculture productivity, improving adaptation to climate change, and mitigating greenhouse gases emission. However, the CSA practices usage by farmers is still low in developing countries, Tanzania inclusive. To understand the challenges in the use of CSA practises, an analysis which combines multivariate and ordered probit models were employed to analyse the decisions to use and the intensity to use the six CSA practices (i.e., drought-tolerant maize seed, crop rotation, organic manure, intercropping, irrigation, and residue retention) frequently practised in the study area. The study sampled 1443 farming households from two regions (Mbeya and Songwe) in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. The results show that farming households are using CSA practises as complements. The results are essential in designing combinations of CSA practices. The study also found that the gender of the head of the household, geographical location, and plot ownership are essential determinants of the use of the type and number of CSA practices. It is recommended that agriculture experts should carefully design combinations of CSA practices for the aim of increasing agricultural productivity, resilience to climate change, mitigation of greenhouse gases, and improvement of food security.