Browsing by Author "Masai, Leonard Mandago"

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    Instituting crop insurance to address climate change and variability impacts for smallholder farming in Kilosa district, Tanzania
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2017) Masai, Leonard Mandago
    This study focuses on instituting crop insurance to smallholder farmers as a measure to address impacts of climate change and variability in three villages of Rudewa, Ruaha and Malolo A, in Kilosa District. Primary data were obtained through household surveys, involving interviewing farmers, key informants, focus group discussions and desk research. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 120 households and 15 selected insurance companies in Dar es Salaam. Quantitative data were analyzed using (SPSS) while Qualitative data, were organized and summarized into thematic areas, then subjected to content analysis. Results revealed that about 43.5% of the respondents in the study area confirmed practicing only rain-fed agriculture, 6.7% irrigated and 50% used both. Apparently 55.8% of the respondents affirmed that crops did not guarantee their livelihood activities before following season. Villages received unusual rainfall and temperature patterns having precipitation indices of Y= 0.0334x+86.531, R2 = 0.0005 and temperature indices of Y= 0.0334x+86.531, R2= 0.30. Such variations led to crop loss and famine in 1998 and unprecedented floods in 2014. About 87% of the respondents attested to getting loss of crop production due to changing climate impacts leaving smallholders with no compensation due to the lean budget. About 81.7% of the respondent agreed they induced economic diversification. 56% and 15.8% got crop insurance through mass media and Government Agency respectively. The study established that 81% of respondents were willing to join a cover for their farming, insurance firms leveraged to initiate insurance cover. The study found that there was a need to bridge the gap between smallholder famers, climate change impacts and insurance.