Socio-demographic Determinants of Smallholder Farmers’ Adaptive Capacity to Climate Variability in Bukombe District, Tanzania

Abstract

This paper examines the socio-demographic determinants of smallholder farmers’ adaptive capacity to climate variability in Bukombe  district. It employed a mixed approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods. A simple random sampling selected 175  farmers for the study. The data collection methods included household surveys, observations, focus group discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews, and document reviews. We conducted both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses using SPSS and Excel software.  Ordinal logistic regression was adopted to determine the influences of socio-demographic determinants on farmers’ adaptive capacity.  Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. Rainfall and temperature data were analysed by using Microsoft Excel. The results indicated most of the smallholder farmers have low adaptive capacity to climate change. Furthermore, the findings reveal that socio- demographic factors of households—including age, gender, education, income, household size, and marital status—significantly  influence smallholder farmers’ ability to adapt to climate variability; whereas land size and tenure do not significantly influence this capacity. Therefore, we recommend improving farmers’ adaptive capacity through sensitization and strengthening of household farming  subsidies. We also recommend improving adaptive capacity by creating a more conducive environment, such as access to information,  finance, seeds, and fertilizers. However, all initiatives should consider the demographic characteristics of farmers, as their adaptive  capacity is dependent on the level and status of their household’s demographic characteristics.