Farmers’ decision-making strategies for dealing with hydro-climatic risks in the Kilombero Valley, Tanzania

Abstract

<p>At present, the seasonally flooded wetland of the Kilombero River is mainly used by small-scale farmers who predominantly produce rice and maize during the wet season. Some community-based irrigation systems do exist, which reduce the consequences and risks of climate variabilities regarding e.g. the onset of the rainy season and which allow year-round farming. Like other sub-Saharan wetlands, the Kilombero Valley floodplain is a highly dynamic environment, which is amplified due to increasing variability in the onset and intensity of the wet season.</p><p>In this study, we identify drivers of change and farmers’ decision-making strategies using focus group discussions with different types of farmers. In particular, we examine the differences between farmers from rain-fed and irrigated agriculture in terms of their agricultural practices and decision-making strategies for dealing with hydro-climatic risks. The results map the perceptions and visions of the people whose actions shape this highly dynamic environment and identify a range of options for action that go beyond the optimality paradigm.</p><p>Understanding how aspirations and visions about the future shape agricultural practices and hence human-water interaction is crucial to understand possible changes and dynamics of coupled socio-ecological systems. Therefore, this study is embedded into a wider multi-method approach integrating qualitative and quantitative data to inform and modify hydrological modelling. Here, the qualitatively collected data and findings of this research provide ground for developing additional scenarios for hydrological models and allow for contextualizing model results. Thus, human-water interactions can be better represented and the local populations’ perception and reactions to hydro-climatic risks can be assessed.</p><p>This research is part of the Collaborative Research Centre 228 “Rural Future Africa” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).</p>

Floods stress in lowland rice production: experiences of rice farmers in Kilombero and Lower-Rufiji floodplains, Tanzania

“…The fluctuations in water levels are significant, with the flooding during the rainy season and drying up during the dry season, apart from the rivers and river margins. With over 80% of its arable area monocropped with rice, the floodplain of Kilombero basin serves as Tanzania's major rice basket, producing 9% of the country's total rice production (Höllermann et al, 2021). The Lower Rufiji Basin, located in Southeastern Tanzania, encompasses the Rufiji River and its floodplain, and is an important source of livelihood for its local population through farming, fishing, and forestry.…”

“…Out of what is known about abiotic stresses emerging from floods in river valleys and floodplains, little is known about the vulnerability of rice farmers to floods scenarios in river basins of Tanzania. Again, for sustainability of rice farming under flood risk environment of flood plains, it is inevitable to understand how rice farmers experience hydrodynamics and uncertain growing conditions of the river floodplains (Höllermann et al, 2021).…”

Uncovering spatiotemporal pattern of floods with Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar in major rice-growing river basins of Tanzania

“…With an area of 40,420 km 2 , or around 23% of the Rufiji basin, the Kilombero Valley is the largest freshwater wetland in East Africa. Out of the mentioned area, the largest portion of the 7,967 km 2 floodplain is regarded as a Ramsar site (Höllermann et al, 2021). The Kilombero valley serves as Tanzania's major rice basket accounting for 9% of the country's total rice production (Kwesiga et al, 2019).…”