Climate Change: Farmer's Perception and Their Adaptation Strategies

This study aimed at understanding farmers' perception and their adaptive capacity to climate change including constraints, opportunities and acceptance of adaptive strategies in both Migambo and Kibohelo villages of Lushoto district. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the proposed study including structured questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, field observation and literature analysis. Also focus group discussions were carried out in both villages surveyed. Out of 70 households surveyed in the study; 100% of the farmers are aware that the climate is changing due to some causative factors including deforestation, clearance of the forest areas for agriculture fields, food insecurity and recently trend of water scarcity which has never happened in their area before. The study reveals that farmers have started to adapt with climate change impacts by deploying several mechanisms including shifting to irrigation farming (68.4%), and practicing of agro forestry (91.4%). However there are several setbacks which constrained the farmers in adapting including; lack of access to the metrological information's (100%), failure to utilize technical indigenous knowledge.