The Demography of Smallholder Maize Farmers for Climate Change Adaptation in Tanzania

Abstract

Climate change causes tremendous impact on the environment and agricultural production, including that of maize. In response, farmers deploy numerous strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. However, despite numerous studies addressing this issue, the demography of farmers (age, sex, education), and the way these factors affect climate change adaptations, have received scant attention. This article examines the influence of socio-demographic factors on the choices and practices of climate change adaptation among smallholder maize farmers in Chemba District, Tanzania. The data were collected from 270 maize farmers, 8 key informant interviews, 4 group discussions, and field observation. The study findings show that most maize farmers (99.6%) were negatively impacted by climate change; and they adopted drought resistant seeds, industrial fertilizers and pesticides to reduce such impacts. However, irrigation farming and destocking were invisible. Age, sex, marital status, and education affected the adoption of climate change adaptations. Furthermore, sociological factors (perceptions/attitudes about strategies), and motivation from successful farmers and extension officers were found to influence adaptation and adoption of strategies. Hence, the demography of famers and social features were key to the choice and use of climate change adaptation strategies. Consequently, demographic factors should be taken into consideration when enforcing climate change interventions. Key words: ,,,