Agro-pastoralist Resilience: Emerging Challenges towards Innovated Pathways of Climate Change Effects in Semi-arid areas of Kiteto and Kilindi Districts, Tanzania

Abstract

Climate change and its variability threaten food security globally, making life uncertain, especially among agro-pastoral communities living in fragile semi-arid areas. This trend has necessitated the exploration of the potential designed and developed pathways and the emerging challenges which  reduce the adaptive capacity of agro-pastoralists. This study investigates innovative pathways and challenges facing agro-pastoral communities in  adapting to climate change and variability effects on crops and livestock production in semiarid areas of Kiteto and Kilindi Districts. A mixed-method  research approach under a correlation case study design was employed. Primary data were collected using a household survey which  sampled 362 households, Focus Group Discussion (n=6), In-depth interviews (key informants) and field visits. Descriptive statistics and thematic  analysis were used in analysing and presenting the findings. The study results indicate that agro-pastoral communities have observed a decrease in  rainfall and an increase in temperature trends that were linked to reduced livestock, cereals and pulses crop production thus affecting the agro-  pastoral community’s food security status. The study identified innovative pathways as a response to reduced livestock, cereal and pulse crops  production which includes growing drought-tolerant crops, practising intercropping, livestock seasonal mobility, traditional grazing management  system through by-laws, pastures rotational uses and traditional water reservoirs (Mboutu). Furthermore, the study identified several challenges to  overcoming declining livestock production and crop yields, which include inadequate financial capital (91%), droughts (85.4%), unpredicted weather  patterns, (74.7%), emergency of new AJASSS Volume 4, Issue No. 1, 2022 page 20 livestock diseases (50.3%), a lack of reliable weather information  (44.2%), low livestock prices(40%), insufficient and delayed delivery of agricultural equipment (37%). All these challenges reduced the resilience  capacity of agropastoralists. To ensure the sustainability of fragile dryland communities, this study recommends purposeful institutional  intervention plans and increased income diversification as well as more capacity-building activities for increased awareness of climate change  adaptation practices in semiarid areas of Tanzania which will increase agro-pastoralists resilience.