Department of Agriculture Earth and Environmental Science, Mwenge Catholic University, P.O. Box 1226, Moshi, Tanzania.
Department of Geography, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35049, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Environ Manage. 2023 Aug;72(2):275-293. doi: 10.1007/s00267-023-01793-1. Epub 2023 Mar 13.
Agricultural production systems in semi-arid areas are vulnerable to a myriad of risks. Using a systems approach of risk framework and a mixed-methods research design, this paper sought to explore selected biophysical and socio-economic risks that contributed to vulnerability of agricultural production systems in the semi-arid lowlands of Mwanga District, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Despite the lack of statistically significant relationships between amounts of rainfall and crop production in the district, 30 focus group participants perceived that spatial and temporal changes of rainfall distribution as coupled with increased crop pest/disease outbreaks and soil loss contributed to vulnerability of agricultural production systems in terms of frequent crop failure and famine particularly amongst farmers who practised rain-fed farming in the semi-arid lowlands. Furthermore, participants perceived that crop production and yields were negatively influenced by poor marketing and institutional structures and that crop production and yields were negatively influenced by farmers' poor access to appropriate technologies including seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals, agricultural machinery and infrastructure including modern irrigation schemes and all-weather roads. By way of conclusion, reduced vulnerability of agricultural production systems calls for integrated enhancement of farmers' capacity in addressing the biophysical, agro-industrial and institutional risks.
半干旱地区的农业生产系统容易受到各种风险的影响。本文采用风险框架系统方法和混合方法研究设计，旨在探讨坦桑尼亚乞力马扎罗地区姆万加区半干旱低地农业生产系统脆弱性的一些生物物理和社会经济风险。尽管该地区的降雨量与作物产量之间没有统计学上的显著关系，但 30 名焦点小组参与者认为，降雨分布的时空变化以及病虫害爆发和土壤流失的增加，导致了农业生产系统的脆弱性，特别是在半干旱低地从事雨养农业的农民中，经常发生作物歉收和饥荒。此外，参与者认为，不良的营销和体制结构对作物生产和产量有负面影响，农民获得包括种子、肥料、农用化学品、农业机械和基础设施（包括现代灌溉计划和全天候道路）等适当技术的机会有限，也对作物生产和产量有负面影响。总之，减少农业生产系统的脆弱性需要综合增强农民应对生物物理、农业工业和体制风险的能力。
