Praying for Rain: Farmer Vulnerability to Climate Change in Mto Wa Mbu and Lukange Village, Tanzania

Climate change is expected to alter rainfall patterns and temperature in Tanzania, and regional sensitivity to climate change is lent even greater importance given Tanzania‟s economic dependency on agriculture. This raises the question of how farmers will be affected by climate change and what, if anything, is being done to buffer its effects on their livelihoods now and in the future? This study investigated the vulnerability of small farmers in the Tanzanian communities of Mto Wa Mbu and Lukange Village to the predicted increase in drought and flood events. Structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with farmers and other individuals associated with agriculture within these communities or agricultural research in East Africa. We found vulnerability to be influenced by a number of things including biophysical factors (i.e., water availability), economic factors (i.e., ability to afford inputs), and social factors (i.e., access to extension services). All farmers in these two communities are vulnerable to climate change, but the factors comprising their vulnerability differ. Water access is the most important factor in Mto Wa Mbu, and access to NGOs is critical in Lukange. Research organizations and NGOs are beginning to address the human dimension of climate change in this region, but their efforts fall short of where they need to be to help these farmers