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researchers to do, to enable more effective responses to climate-change impact.
Following these individual interviews with selected actors of each category, we
organized focus group discussions that brought several actors together. Focus
group discussions held in Same District were attended by selected smallholder
farmers, traditional weather forecasters, PAR researchers, representatives from
a non-governmental organization (NGO) and from Same District Government
Office. In these discussion groups we facilitated a joint evaluation of the various
PAR activities. In total we interviewed and conducted discussion groups with 32
individuals at the village, district and national levels.
One village, Bangalala, was selected. Here we interviewed a group of six
farmers who were working with PAR researchers to implement recommended
actions from the interactive research project. In Bangalala we interviewed five
traditional weather forecasters and the village agricultural extension officer,
who were also part of the PAR project at the local level. At the district level
we interviewed representatives from an NGO called Same Agricultural
Improvement Project (SAIPRO), one supplier of agricultural inputs, the head
of the Tanzanian Meteorological Agency (TMA)'s Same station, and several
officials at district government offices. At the national level we interviewed two
PAR researchers from SUA, seven officials from the Ministry of Agriculture,
Food Security and Cooperatives, including the director of policy and planning,
the director of the food security unit, the head of the environmental unit, a
climate-change specialist in the food security unit, one senior economist in the
food security unit, a principal agricultural and environmental protection officer.
Other national-level actors interviewed included the Senior Environmental
Officer and Assistant Coordinator in the National Adaptation Plan of Action
(NAPA) in the Vice President's Office (VPO), the resident United Nations
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in Tanzania, an
Environmental Officer at WWF Tanzania Country Office and a TMA official
from headquarters in Dar-es-Salaam. Interviews at the local level were conducted
in Kiswahili; those at the national level were in English and Kiswahili.
In addition to the interviews and discussion groups, we conducted
observations on interactions among various actors involved in the PAR. For
instance, at the national level we attended several conferences and meetings
where the various actors were present. Our observations aimed at understanding
participation and eliciting power relations during interactive processes among
the actors. Throughout our research, we conducted an extensive document
review to understand the motivations, processes and outcomes from interactive
processes such as the PAR project.
results and discussion
The RPA results have been analysed with a view to revealing the political
factors that may hinder effective adoption of new and evidence-based policy
recommendations for effective adaptation strategies to climate-change impacts
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