Assessment of land tenure and management challenges of reducing climate change impacts in the southern highlands of Tanzania

Abstract

Producing more food for a growing population in the context of changing climate, while at the same time combating poverty and food insecurity, is among the enormous challenge facing Sub-Saharan African. Such factors affect land which forms the most important resource that forms the main part of the mode of production among farm households. The climate change risks, reduce arable land and pose environmental degradation that increases vulnerability to climate change and variability impacts. To reduce climate change impacts and growing land shortage, smallholder farmers in the southern highlands of Tanzania have been shifting to farming systems that are restoring exhausted soils and are increasing food crop yields, household food security, and incomes. However, some of these activities have implication on long-term adaptation and mitigation strategies. This paper reviews land tenure challenges of land use management and development of adaptation and mitigation strategies. The aim is to assess land tenure and management strategies for reducing climate change challenges and increasing food security and environmental resilience. To acquire accurate and detailed information, combinations of both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. The use of two approaches facilitated the triangulation and validation of information collected through various methods. The main focus was on the land tenure challenges in relation to climate variability and adaptation and mitigation measures. Quantitative data compiled and analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel software while qualitative data analyzed during and after data collection using content analysis. The results indicate land fragmentation and high land pressure in the area. This affected crop diversification and implementation of adaptation and mitigation measures, especially for that involve utilization of the large size of land. Also the small size of land resulted in the substance farming with less incentive for commercial farming. The results from Pearson Chi-Square signify the size of owned land value 65.816 with df 44 and Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) .018.And borrowed value 17. 355, with df of 14 and Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) .238. The frequency of the small size of land is higher than the large size forming leaner distribution as divergent to the normal distribution curve. It was further revealed that land acquisition through inherited, redistributed by household heads with few buying have implication on land management and changes on land uses and affects development of mitigation measures. The absence of policy incentives for good land management, high population density and land shortage places excessive pressure on land that increases challenges on management strategies. Also land ownership has an influence on land management for example rented land receive less management incentive, while the owned land can have a long term management measures. A measure that enhances land management and carbon storage both above ground and below ground and induce more effective conservation of above and below-ground biodiversity are essential.