Helping communities to respond to climate

The situation which experts have linked to climate change has had devastating impacts of on the lives and livelihoods of many Tanzanians but dryland communities have been and are set to be among the worst affected.

The people living in the drylands are heavily dependent upon fragile ecosystem services for their livelihoods. But those services—from nutrient cycling; flood regulation andbiodiversity to water; food and fibre-- are under threat from a variety sources such as urban expansion and unsustainable farming settlements.

Climate change is now aggravating these challenges. “However, combating climate change and helping communities to adapt to its impacts represents anopportunity for new and more sustainable investments that can also contribute to improved livelihoods, fighting poverty and enhance economicresilience among dryland communities,” says Dr Emma Liwenga, Pathways to Resilience In Semi-arid Economies (PRISE) East Africa Programme leader.

The programme seeks to, among other things, raise the profile of semi-arid and drylands as areas of economic potential to investments for the development of local communities.

Most of the arid and semi-arid areas of Tanzania have land that is suitable for small-scale farming; they have abundant water while communities can engage in beekeeping, small-scale mining and sunflower oil production.

Yet the potential for economic development has not been fully utilized due to limited investments. In spite of their environmental sensitivity and perceived fragility, and despite the prevailing negativeperceptions of drylands in terms of economic and livelihood potentials, these ecosystems have supported human populations for centuries.

There is a need therefore, to establish a tripartite relationship between government, investors andinhabitants of the drylands that would channel funding to these areas and ensure economic resilience of the communities while guaranteeing returns to investments.

Many dryland inhabitants are pastoralists, sedentary or nomadic, oragro-pastoralists, combining livestock-rearing and crop production where conditions allow.

For years they have lived with variable rainfall and frequent droughts using a range ofstrategies to cope with the situation. However the situation has changed,which means that the traditional methods of adaptation must be enhanced in order to respond to current circumstances.

“One way through which pastoralism can be enhanced is through investing in the beef value chain. Improved livestock keeping would produce quality beef which is important as food for local consumption and a direct source of income for dryland communities,” says Dr. AdolphineKateka who is a member of the PRISE team from the Centre for Climate Change Studies (CCCS) of the University of Dar es Salaam.

“Improving the beef value chain would also be a potential foreign exchange earner for the country through export of livestock products which in turn would greatly boost the economic resilience of pastoral communities in dryland areas,” she adds.

This is why it is important to invest in the beef value chain so that from the way the animals are reared , through the various processes of preparing products, to the final products, national and international standards are observed.

“The challenge is to meet these standards and which can be met if substantial investments are made in dryland communities most of whom are pastoralists,” insists Dr. Kateka. Some observers have noted that the current poor quality of beef in the country is a result of the traditional mode of livestock keeping that sees little innovation and economic improvement on the part of pastoralist.

“Dryland communities must change their mindset and consider pastoralism as a business and not as a tradition. This change of attitude may help to attract investments in the beef value chain so as to raise the standard of livestock products in the country,” says Joseph Kisaka, Principal Livestock Officer in Kiteto District.

Pastoralists depend on being able to sell their animals and in return to buy stock and foodstuffs, such ascereals and legumes.

An almost complete lack of functioning markets in arid zones limits pastoralists’ability to easily exchange animals for other food, often leavinglittle option for the pastoralists but to walk their animals long distances to markets.

As they have no source of information on livestockprices, pastoralists are often paid poor prices by unscrupulous market agents.Pastoralists might diversify theirlivelihoods outside the livestock productionsector, such as through small business development.

Small businesses might begin by addingvalue to livestock products such as skins and hides. The establishment of new businesses will,of necessity, be a long-term endeavour.Improved education and health services will be vital toprovide the healthy and educated people who will move into business.

The adaptation strategies for arid zones should, therefore, include a thorough value chain analysisand the establishment of effective markets.

There are many adaptation options, which, if adequately designed and applied in response tospecific local contexts and realities, can limit the negative effects of climate change and landdegradation on drylands livelihoods.

The key to realizing effective adaptation measures is to acknowledge the continuing need for poverty alleviation supportin the dry parts of the country, and link drylands management to markets, so that custodians of dryland ecosystemshave incentives to manage them for long-term benefits.

Dryland landscapes should be integrated more effectively intoglobal mitigation strategies. “The realization of such interventions in African drylands, supportedby adequate development assistance, promises multiple co-benefits that contribute to the global mitigation of climate change.

It alsosafeguards dryland communities’livelihoods through improved ecosystem services for food security, biodiversity and waterprovisioning and regulation as well as enhanced ecosystem function and resilience,” reads part of a document titled Climate Change in the African Dryland: Options and opportunities for adaptation.

The document is a joint publication by UNEP, UNDP AND UNCCD.Yet it is not just about climate change. Unsustainable practices are some of the major drivers of significant land degradation.

Unsustainable land management practices, including over-grazing, over-cultivation,illegal and excessive fuel wood collection and poor irrigation technologies amongothers, have become prevalent, often due to institutional or tenurial barriers.

Climate change only further compounds the already tenuous situation. Without significant efforts to address the impacts of climate change and land degradation, the livelihoods of Tanzania’s dry land populations will be in jeopardy.