Effects of climate change and adaptation strategies on urban crop production in Kinondoni City, Tanzania

Urban Farm DB summary

Combining 30 years of temperature and rainfall data from the Tanzania Meteorological Agency with a questionnaire survey of 386 urban-agriculture households across five wards of Kinondoni City (Bunju 118, Kunduchi 42, Mabwepande 102, Mzimuni 28, Wazo 96), plus focus group discussions, key informant interviews and direct observation, this study examined climate change's effects on urban crop production and farmers' adaptation strategies. More than 70% of surveyed smallholder farmers were aware of climate change indicators, consistent with the meteorological data, citing rising temperature (76%) and declining rainfall (73%); pests and diseases were ranked highest (88%) among significant climate-change effects. Land scarcity was also identified as a significant challenge for urban agriculture, and pesticide and fertilizer use was the most commonly cited adaptation strategy (65%).