Effectiveness Of Indigenous Knowledge In Adaptation To Climate Change For Maize And Beans Production A Case Of Mbeya Rural, Mbeya Region

ABSTRACT

This study aimed at examining indigenous knowledge on climate change adaptation

on maize and bean production in Mbeya rural. Basically the study aimed at

examining the changes in rainfall and temperature and its impact on maize and bean

production in the area as well as addressing the indigenous knowledge used by local

people to resist the impacts caused by climate change. Primary data were collected

by using questionnaires, interviews with key informants and field observation. SPSS

version 16.0 and Microsoft excel were used to encode and analyze data.

The result from the field found that there are changes in rainfall, whereby the rainfall

is decreasing and temperature is increasing. This has resulted in the decrease in

maize and bean production in the area. Local people have applied different

indigenous measures in order to resist the effects of climate change. Those measures

used were, traditional irrigation, mixed farming, the use of valley bottom cultivation

“vinyungu”, and traditional terracing. The study found that even though IK was

applied to the area, the effects of climate change still persist such as, in the declining

yields of maize and bean production.

The study went further to investigate the challenges that local people face while

adapting to climate change. The challenges mentioned by respondents during field

interview were; low income, shortage number of AEO‟s, poor government support

and low agricultural inputs like fertilizers. Although the government has introduced

different policies and programs concerning climate change, the study found that

there is poor implementation of those policies, which results in the decrease in maize

and beans yields