MOROGORO FARMERS FACE A NEW CLIMATE REALITY AS COMMUNITIES SEARCH FOR WAYS TO ADAPT

 MOROGORO FARMERS FACE A NEW CLIMATE REALITY AS COMMUNITIES SEARCH FOR WAYS TO ADAPT

By Thadei Hafigwa

MOROGORO, Tanzania

For generations, smallholder farmers in Morogoro Region have depended on familiar rainfall patterns to decide when to prepare their farms, plant seeds and expect harvests.

Today, that farming calendar is becoming increasingly difficult to predict.

Across parts of Morogoro, farmers and pastoralists are reporting changing rainfall patterns, prolonged dry spells, flooding and declining water availability. The consequences extend beyond farms, affecting household food supplies, incomes and the choices families make about their future.

In Mvomero District, research involving pastoral communities found that 77 percent of respondents believed rainfall had decreased and become less predictable. The study also found that the short rains, locally known as vuli, had become increasingly unreliable.

For farmers, uncertainty over rainfall can mean more than a difficult season. It can mean planting at the wrong time, losing seed and fertilizer investments, harvesting less food and having less money to meet household needs.

When the rains no longer follow the calendar

In rural communities, the changing climate is often experienced not through statistics but through decisions made in the field.A farmer who once knew approximately when to plant maize or rice must now consider whether rainfall will arrive on time, stop prematurely or come in heavy downpours capable of destroying crops.

Evidence from Kiroka village in Morogoro illustrates the complexity of the problem. The community faces both water shortages during dry periods and flooding during heavy rains. Research has linked flooding in lowland areas to runoff from highlands, while declining rainfall can leave water sources and irrigation canals dry, contributing to crop failure.

The result is a paradox: communities can experience too much water at one time and too little when they need it most.This instability puts pressure on food production and household income.

Kilombero: pressure on rice production and irrigation

The challenge is particularly visible in the Kilombero Valley, one of Tanzania's important agricultural areas. Farmers in Mkula Ward have reported significant declines in rice production. One farmer cited by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said her seasonal rice harvest had fallen from 30 tonnes to 10 tonnes in recent years.

She attributed the decline to extreme weather events, deterioration of soil quality and pest problems, while farmers also identified seed quality, post-harvest facilities and unpredictable markets as additional challenges.

The experience demonstrates an important reality about climate reporting: climate change is rarely the only factor affecting a farmer.Poor infrastructure, limited access to quality seeds, soil degradation, weak markets and inadequate irrigation can combine with changing weather to make farming increasingly difficult.

At Mkula irrigation scheme, for example, only about 100 hectares of the 254 hectares originally designated for irrigation were being irrigated because of inadequate infrastructure, according to IUCN. Efforts to improve irrigation infrastructure, post-harvest handling and farmers' knowledge of climate-smart agriculture are therefore central to strengthening production.

Water is becoming an economic issue

The changing availability of water is also reshaping livelihoods around the Ngerengere River catchment. For farmers, water is directly connected to production. For households, it is connected to drinking, cooking and other domestic activities. When water sources decline, competition between different users can intensify.

In the wider Ruvu basin, efforts are under way to restore degraded land, protect water sources and use nature-based solutions to improve water security. A reported project aims to restore at least 3,000 hectares of degraded land and replenish more than 584 million litres of water in the basin. It also targets at least 2,000 farmers with climate-resilient agricultural practices.

The approach is significant because it moves beyond simply responding to water shortages. It seeks to address the condition of the landscape that determines whether water is retained, stored and available downstream.

Tree planting, restoration of degraded areas, better land-use practices and protection of water sources are therefore becoming part of the agricultural adaptation conversation.

Women carry another part of the burden

The impact of climate change is not evenly distributed within rural households. Women often carry responsibility for food preparation, water collection, childcare and other domestic activities while also participating in agricultural production. When water becomes scarce or harvests decline, these responsibilities can become more demanding.

But women are also emerging as important agents of adaptation. In Mvomero, 28-year-old farmer Jackrina Mzeru has been reported to combine pine and avocado trees with vegetable production, alongside traditional approaches to pest management.

Another farmer, Mary Gasper Mkwama, has adopted agro forestry by growing avocado trees alongside crops. Her experience has been highlighted as an example of how integrating trees into farms can provide food, income and environmental benefits.

According to the reported case, a local initiative involving Agriwezesha had planted more than 440,000 trees in Morogoro, including avocado, pine, grevillea and cypress, with the aim of stabilizing slopes, supporting households and improving resilience to climate extremes.

These experiences show that adaptation is not necessarily about abandoning traditional agriculture. In many cases, farmers are modifying it.

Young people and the question of the future

Climate pressure is also becoming a question about whether young people will continue to see agriculture as a viable livelihood. When repeated crop failures reduce household income, farming can become less attractive to young people who are already looking for employment and economic opportunities outside rural areas.

Research on Tanzania has found a relationship between declining agricultural income and internal migration. One analysis cited by the Migration Policy Institute found that the probability of rural households engaging in internal migration increased by about 13 percent for every one percent reduction in agricultural income.

Migration should not automatically be interpreted as a failure of rural communities. For some households, moving temporarily or permanently can be a strategy for finding alternative income. But if climate-related agricultural losses continue without adequate adaptation support, migration can increasingly become a necessity rather than a choice.

Communities are not waiting for solutions

Despite the challenges, farmers in Morogoro are already experimenting with different approaches. In Kiroka, adaptation measures have included the System of Rice Intensification, which involves wider spacing of seedlings, careful water management and soil-moisture conservation. In upland areas, farmers have also used contour bunds to reduce soil erosion and retain water, while planting crops such as bananas, vegetables and pineapples.

Other strategies include planting trees, using improved or drought-tolerant seeds, strengthening irrigation, diversifying household income and improving access to climate information.

In the Ruvu basin, proposed livelihood diversification includes activities such as beekeeping, fish farming and fodder production. Such measures are important because they reduce dependence on a single source of income.

The adptation gap

However, adopting climate-smart practices is not always easy. A farmer may know that drought-tolerant seed could reduce risk but still lack the money to purchase it. Another may understand the value of irrigation but lack access to reliable water infrastructure.

This creates what can be described as an adaptation gap: the difference between knowing what can help and having the resources needed to implement it.Tanzania's climate policy direction places emphasis on climate-smart agriculture, including drought-resistant seeds, improved water management and efficient irrigation technologies.

For rural communities in Morogoro, however, policy commitments need to translate into accessible services at village level. Farmers need affordable improved seeds, functioning irrigation schemes, extension services, reliable climate information, access to finance and markets for diversified products.

The climate story emerging from Morogoro is therefore not simply a story of drought, floods or declining harvests. It is a story about people trying to protect their livelihoods in an increasingly uncertain environment.

In Mvomero, farmers are adjusting their agricultural practices to changing rainfall. In the Ngerengere catchment, water conservation and restoration are becoming increasingly important. In Kilombero, irrigation farmers are seeking ways to maintain production while confronting water and infrastructure challenges.

Trees can protect soils and provide additional income. Improved irrigation can reduce dependence on rainfall. Drought-tolerant crops can reduce production risks. Better land management can improve water retention. Diversified livelihoods can protect households when one source of income fails.

But these measures work best when farmers have the knowledge, finance, infrastructure and institutions needed to sustain them.For Morogoro's smallholder farmers, climate change is no longer an abstract environmental issue. It is increasingly visible in the timing of planting, the availability of water, the size of harvests, household income and decisions about whether young people remain in agriculture.

The challenge now is whether government, researchers, development organizations and other stakeholders can match that local determination with the investment and technical support required to make adaptation work at scale.For the farmers whose livelihoods depend on the next rain, resilience cannot wait for the climate to become predictable again.