Articles, Conference and Workshop Papers Collection

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://10.10.97.169:4000/handle/123456789/62

Browse

Browsing Articles, Conference and Workshop Papers Collection by Subject "Agriculture"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Deforestation and loss of bushland and grassland primarily due to expansion of cultivation in mainland Tanzania (1995–2010)
    (Taylor & Francis, 2019) Nzunda, E. F.; Midtgaard, F.
    Information on land use and cover changes (LUCC) is important for planning of conservation and development and thus ensure forest sustainability. The current paper assesses LUCC for the whole of the mainland Tanzania. The analyses were done using land use and cover maps covering the whole of mainland Tanzania for 1995 and 2010. For 1995, forest, bushland, grassland, cultivation and other land use and cover (built up areas, bare land, etc.) covered 43.5%, 19.8%, 23.5%, 11.2%, and 2.0% of the study area, respectively. For 2010, the same land use and cover classes covered 38.0%, 14.5%, 6.9%, 36.5%, and 4.1% of the study area, respectively. The annual rate of deforestation was 320,067 ha, which is equivalent to 0.9%. Bushland and grassland were lost at 313,745 and 969,982 ha/year, respectively. Most forest was con- verted to cultivation and least to other land use and cover. In conclusion, the net changes were deforestation and loss of bushland and grassland primarily due to expansion of cultivation. Further research on how to reduce or halt expansion of cultivation may shed light on improving sustainability of forest, bushland, and grassland in mainland Tanzania.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Irrigating Africa: policy barriers and opportunities for enhanced productivity of smallholder farmers
    (International Journal of Water Resources Development, 2017-05-19) Mwamakamba, S. N.; Sibanda, L. M.; Pittock, J.; Stirzaker, R.; Bjornlund, H.; Rooyen, A. V.; Munguambe, P.; Mdemu, M. V.; Kashaigili, J. J.
    African governments have ambitious plans to expand irrigated agriculture, though existing smallholder schemes have largely failed to use land and water sustainably or become profitable. Six government-owned irrigation schemes in Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe were assessed to identify common policy barriers and opportunities for higher productivity among smallholder farmers. Issues like insecure land tenure systems, unclear institutional arrangements and poor access to markets have contributed to limited profitability. Reform of currently insecure land tenure, strengthening farmer organizations and reforming policies are recommended so that governments step back from scheme management and foster market linkages to enable more profitable irrigated agriculture