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This paper examines the local vulnerability of households in two study communities in the east coast of Zanzibar focusing on food security, which is negatively impacted by climate variability and change. Findings have indicated that overall the local people in eastern coast of Zanzibar are insecure with respect to most major sources of food. Households solely dependent on natural resources through farming, fishing, livestock and poultry farming, have been found to be more vulnerable to food insecurity as these activities are facing considerable uncertainties associated with climate change and variability as well as other stress factors. Agricultural failure resulting from various factors, including local climate variability, coupled with uncertainty of fishing has many pushed households towards increasing dependence on market for their staple food supplies. Therefore, this enhances the household's vulnerability to food insecurity especially among households with low purchasing power. With increasing demand of fisheries resources in urban areas associated with the expanding tourism industry in the study area the price for fisheries resources has increased, causing the poor, including the fishers, to consume less fish and other seafood, and thereby limiting their dietary protein intakes.

Purpose -The study is specifically aimed at understanding the extent of fuel wood consumption for cooking and the adoption of improved charcoal stoves as a policy option toward reducing the consumption of fuel wood in urban sectors. Design/methodology/approach -Both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data were collected by use of structured questionnaires, interviews and direct field observation. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze data. Based on the research plan, a total of 120 individual households were randomly selected and interviewed. Findings -The results of the analysis suggested that the majority of people still cook using traditional stoves which consume a great deal of wood to the extent of deteriorating forest resources. Since conventional fuels remain remote for the majority, improved charcoal stoves are perceived as a real option for reducing consumption of wood fuel in urban area and thus arresting the rate of deforestation. However, this can only be realized if the improved charcoal stoves are widely adopted within social systems. Adoption itself results from a series of individual or any unit of adoption to begin using the new stoves. Poor quality of the improved stoves, costs, information and education about the stoves are major factors for the failure to adopt improved charcoal stoves in urban Zanzibar. Originality/value -The need to revive improved charcoal stoves programs and exploration of alternative sources of energy have been recommended in order to reduce the pressure over forest resources induced by the great demand for fuel wood in urban Zanzibar.

This paper presents one part of a larger, multidimensional study on the vulnerability of Zanzibar coastal communities to climate change and other stressors, focusing on water insecurity in two sites on the Zanzibar coast. Water security is composed of three components, namely water availability, water accessibility and the quality of available water. Findings from the study showed that water from wells is the major source of household water since tap water supply is often erratic. Farming systems are completely rain-fed, while some livestock owners use coral caves as the main source of water for their animals. Water quality is a major challenge along the coast as the majority of wells and coral caves in the study sites contain hard water with varying levels of salinity. A diversity of physical and social factors such as variability in water supply infrastructure, settlement structure, poverty, geology and geohydrology, variability in supply and poor water resource management adversely interact with local climate phenomena such as sea level rise, salt water incursion and drought to intensify water insecurity along the Zanzibar coast. Among the policy options to address these challenges would be to promote rainwater harvesting and increased utilisation of underground water for irrigation in the dry areas in order to increase agricultural production and reduce poverty.

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