Gender and Adaptation Practices to the Effects of Climate Change in Bahi and Kondoa Districts Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Abstract

Climate change has different effects between men and women, but disaggregated data by gender to realize specific adaptation practices undertaken by men and women in Tanzania are scarce. To fill part of the information gap, this study analyzed adaptation practices to the effects of climate change by gender in Bahi and Kondoa Districts Dodoma region, Tanzania. The study also analyzed perception of climate change and identified elements influencing adaptation practices. A sample of 360 respondents, 12 focus groups of discussants and 78 key informants were consulted. Analysis involved descriptive statistics for quantitative data and content analysis for qualitative data. Results showed that women were more devoted to adaptation practices that enabled them to adapt to or reduce hunger/food, water and firewood shortages while men were more devoted to adaptation practices that enabled them to adapt to or reduce effects of climate change on crops, livestock and environment. The corrected Rao-Scott chi-square (χ c 2 ) test showed significant association between adaptation practices implemented by respondents and sex, revealing that undertaken adaptation practices varied by sex. Respondents perceived climate change and managed to identify adaptation practices undertaken to manage climate change effects. The findings can be used to improve/formulate appropriate adaptation practices to manage climate change problems in agriculture sector. The study recommends systematic collection of in-depth information of this kind at the community level in other areas of Dodoma Region, Tanzania and the LDCs in order for the policy makers to design and implement appropriate interventions to manage climate change problems.

Can Climate Finance Contribute to Gender Equity in Developing Countries?

“…Asking male and female farmers in Dodoma Region, Tanzania, about their motivations for changing their cultivation practices, Swai et al . () find out that women are driven by the worries about crop failure and shortages of food, water and firewood caused by climate change and how that affects the well‐being of their family members. Their male counterparts, in contrast, are more confident in minimising the negative impact of climate change on their crops, livestock and the environment.…”

Assessing Rainfall and Temperature Changes in Semi-Arid Areas of Tanzania

“…In drought-stricken, rural and semi-arid regions of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Tanzania, where poverty is common, livelihoods are largely anchored on farming, pastoralism and agro-pastoralism [3] [4]. Even though there is a long history of droughts in Tanzania, studies show that the frequency of droughts has increased over the past few decades, especially in semi-arid areas such as Dodoma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora and some parts of Arusha and Iringa [2] [5] [6]. Rainfall variability data analysed for the period between 1974 and 2005 in semi-arid of Shinyanga Rural District in Tanzania, reported no significant decrease over time.…”

“…Some scholars are of the view that climate variability is not new in semi-arid regions; and that such variability in climate has been affecting smallholder farmers and pastoralists for many decades [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]. According to [6] for example, inter-annual variability of rainfall and temperature in Tanzania is common. Frequent dry spells have resulted in reduced crop yields and increased food shortages leading to food insecurity [5].…”

Perceived and measured climate variability and change in semi-arid environments in Tanzania: experiences from Iramba and Meatu Districts

“…This is translated into similar perceptions of climate variability and change between men and women, coinciding with qualitative results. Moreover, Swai et al (2012a) in Tanzania; Juana et al (2013) in Sub-Saharan Africa and Legesse et al (2013) in Ethiopia have reported similar men and women's perceptions of climate variability and change. This implies that perceptions of the phenomena in semi-arid environments especially in communities whose livelihoods depend on agriculture and livestock keeping do not differ by gender.…”