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CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND

AFRICAN AGRICULTURE GRANTEE CONVENING

24-25 February 2011

Project Name: Building Climate Change Adaptation

Capacity in the Agricultural Sector in Tanzania

Grantee: Sokoine University of Agriculture

Department of Agricultural Engineering and Land

Planning

P. O. Box 3003 Morogoro, Tanzania

Presenter: Dr. Baanda Salim

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About Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)

• The University: Sokoine University of Agriculture, Based in

Morogoro, was established in 1984.

• Vision: To become a center of excellence in agriculture and other

related fields

• Mission: To promote development through training, research,

extension, provision of services to the public and private sector

• Mandate: Teaching, research, consultancy, and advisory services

• The Department of Agricultural Engineering and Land Planning

• Based at SUA.

• Responsible for offering training in the Agricultural and Bio-resources

Engineering discipline and related fields.

• Rockefeller Project Team: Prof. A. K. P. R. Tarimo, Prof. H. F.

Mahoo, Prof B.P. Mbilinyi, Dr. B.A. Salim, Dr. F. C. Kahimba

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Other projects/programs on climate change

adaptation at SUA

• Climate change project under SUA-SWMRG on “Managing Risk

Reducing Vulnerability and Enhancing Agricultural Adaptability to

Climate Change”. A project funded by IDRC/DFID

• Agricultural Water Management (AWM) Landscape analysis Project:

Assessing the feasibility and potential impacts of smallholder

agricultural water management interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa

and South Asia. IWMI/SEI/FAO/IDE Project funded by Bill and

Melinda Gates Foundation

• Water Harvesting Technologies Revisited: Potentials for Innovations,

Improvements and Upscaling in Sub-Saharan Africa (WHaTeR

Project funded by EU FP7-Africa )

• Programme on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation

(CCIAM): Develop and sustain adequacy in national capacity to

participate in climate change initiatives and address the effects and

challenges of climate change with particular emphasis to the REDD

initiatives. Programme funded by Norwegian Government

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Objectives of the Rockefeller Foundation Grant

To enhance the capacity of researchers, farmers, and other stakeholders to generate knowledge on climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector

To enhance the capacity of key stakeholders to disseminate knowledge and strategies on climate change adaptation in agriculture

Upgrade infrastructure in order to assist higher learning institutions in addressing climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector

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Key Activities Related to the Grant

• Identify training needs of various stakeholders for knowledge generation and dissemination on climate change adaptation in the agricultural sector

• Develop training materials

• Conduct short courses on specialized climate related issues

• integrate climate change issues into institutions curricula

• Train Graduate students on climate change adaptation

• Implement Farmers Field Schools (FFS).

• Develop extension/outreach materials

• Update GIS Laboratory; internet service; and existing TMA weather station at SUA main campus

• Acquire hardware and software for training

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Highlight on the Progress to date

• The Project began on the 1st December 2010 instead of

June 2010 due to late release of funds

• Two MSc students have been engaged and are finalizing

proposals development.

• FFS site for training farmers on Climate change

adaptation acquired

• Updating the GIS Laboratory is in progress

• Upgrading of the TMA weather station at SUA is in

progress

• Workshop on identification of training needs of various

stakeholders for knowledge generation on climate

change adaptation

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Early Findings (optional)

• Proceeding on the workshop on identification of training

needs of various stakeholders for knowledge generation

on climate change adaptation is in progress

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Key Challenges

• So far the Project has not experienced any challenge simply because

it has just started.

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Lessons from the workshop

Farmers lack:

i. scientific understanding on climate change such as rainfall and

temperature;

ii. Understanding of the relationship between climate change and

natural resources (e.g. trees and water sources); and

iii. Knowledge on importance of weather forecasts.

Researchers lack:

i. Understanding of science on climate change and its causes; and

ii. Understanding of concept on climate change adaptation in

agriculture.

Policy makers have low/minimal:

i. Knowledge of climate change and its causes;

ii. Knowledge on rainfall patterns and trends/seasonal forecast; and

iii. Knowledge on coping strategies on climate change adaptation

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Emerging Opportunities for Collaboration

Areas that may need collaboration:

i. Training in specialized areas of climate change, e.g. statistical

analysis of data and modelling;

ii. Knowledge dissemination; and

iii. Mainstreaming of climate change in curricula.

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Next steps

Immediate next steps are:

i. To develop training manual that addresses the knowledge gaps that

were identified in the workshop on training needs assessment on

knowledge generation; and

ii. Conduct the training at different levels e.g. farmers, extension

officers, NGO’s, researchers, and decision makers.

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Effect of Drought on field crops

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Effects of drought and flooding

To livestock

To Wildlife

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Effect of flooding on infrastructure