Gendered analysis of the determinants of adaptive capacity to climate change among smallholder farmers in Meatu and Iramba districts, Tanzania

This study was conducted to examine determinants of adaptive capacity to climate change among men, women and other vulnerable groups of smallholder farmers in Meatu and Iramba districts, Tanzania. Purposively the study intended to analyze community perception to climate change; analyze adaptation practices developed and used by farmers for livelihood; examine elements of adaptive capacity including institutions and knowledge; and determine factors responsible for adaptive capacity. Data were collected from randomly selected 63 men and 57 women to make a total of 120 respondents in three purposively selected villages from Meatu and Iramba District using a structured and non structured questionnaire. Descriptive and regression analyses using Statistical Package for Social Sciences were employed to determine the factors for adaptive capacity. Adaptive capacity of men and women in the study area was measured using two proxies: household factor and farm factor. Determinants of adaptive capacity were measured by adaptive capacity index of access and control over assets. Results of descriptive analysis suggest that adaptive capacity of men and women in Meatu and Iramba was influenced by sex of respondents, age of household head, education, household size, household labour, farm size, land ownership, household asset and household income. Although income did not show influence on adaptive capacity, asset ownership within the household indicated high influence. A multinomial Logit model (MLM) revealed that adaptive capacity of men and women in Meatu and Iramba was attributed to factors of age, sex, household size, household labour, land ownership, household asset and household income which were statistically significant at p<0.1, p<0.05 and p