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Smart agriculture is the only sustainable solution to food security and economic growth through commercial agriculture in Tanzania.

However, in Tanzania, economic losses from climate change impacts on agriculture are estimated to exceed $200 million yearly.

“The adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices gives an opportunity to minimise such losses, create resilience in the agriculture sector, maximise productivity and farmer incomes, and contribute to climate change mitigation,” notes the World Bank.

Further still, if Tanzania is to adopt climate-smart agriculture, its focus must be on the livestock sub-sector, which is estimated to contribute the most to greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the World Bank, an increased focus on developing livestock-based programs is needed to support the country’s development trajectory toward zero emissions.

“Promosing climate smart agriculture practices identified for the country include increased fodder production, management in grazing practices, proper water harvesting techniques, agroforestry practices, conservation agriculture where necessary, and adoption of biogas energy power into farms,” writes the World Bank.

In a Climate-Smart Agriculture in Tanzania report, the World Bank cautions that minimal evidence of the impacts of some CSA practices in diverse agroecological systems and production inhibits their promotion and adoption in farms.

That being the case, Tanzania is advised that “Enhancing national and local knowledge and information on diverse CSA practices will be a crucial step towards proper targeting in the allocation of CSA investments, thus improving adoption.”

To this end, the Tanzania Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliance (TCSAA) has been formed, and the World Bank sees it as “…a promising opportunity for improved coordination, dialogue, and information sharing on CSA.”

However, if the platform is to succeed, financial, administrative, and technical support must be ensured. 

“Many of the CSA practices identified in the country are site-specific, and hence, understanding the different socio-economic and environmental contexts across the country is important when designing scale-out strategies,” comments Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in a report.

CCAFS encourages climate-smart policies and practices that enable agriculture to achieve food security goal, climate change adaptation, and mitigation.

In Tanzania, the wider adoption of CSA technologies and practices can best be achieved by strengthening extension services that specifically address climate-related matters.

Tanzania will have to conduct farmer field trials for various CSA practices and increase access to CSA-related markets. If the country is to improve its monitoring, reporting, and verification of GHG emissions in the agriculture sector, capacity building on agricultural greenhouse gas inventories is also needed.