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address the problem holistically without adequate resources. Left in the middle
are farmers who, without adequate support, resort to the traditional ways which
they know well and can manage.
We then assessed the validity of the narrative that asserts 'agriculture as the
backbone of the Tanzanian economy'. This shared narrative is important to
the extent to which it influences prioritizing agriculture development issues,
and demonstrates the divergent views among various actors. The narrative is
intended to serve as a bonding ideology among actors in addressing a common
objective. While most actors interviewed affirmed this narrative, reasoning that
the majority of Tanzanians reside in the rural areas and engage in farming, we also
found some actors who felt that the government narratives were just 'hot air'.
There is a clear mismatch between the government ascribed discourse and its
actual action. Several actors attribute this disparity to lack of sufficient resources
(human, financial and technical) for translating policy statements into policy
actions. Others, civil society actors in particular, disagree with the explanation
of inadequate resources, arguing that the problem is poor prioritization by the
government.
In light of changing climatic conditions, two narratives are dominant:
planting of drought-resistant crops and early-maturing seeds; and the emphasis
on irrigation farming to reduce reliance on rain-fed agriculture for food security.
Both of these narratives are subscribed to by the government and farmers. The
cultivation of drought-resistant crops has picked up, although farmers still
plant their traditional staples despite their bad performance. Given the lack of
reliable, effective weather information as well as of adequate agronomic advice,
farmers have continued to suffer losses due to poor harvests. The climate
change agenda has come as a blessing in disguise to the agriculture sector this
time around. Considerable investments and resources are being committed to
develop agriculture for economic growth and food security. The declining food
security situation, which caused poverty to entrench itself in rural areas, has
prompted the government and its sympathizers to act in favour of the sector. All
interviewees acknowledged that climate change poses huge risks to this sector;
measures taken seem to serve both improved food security and adapting the
agriculture sector to the impacts of climate change.
Actor interests and power dynamics
Policy is driven by multiple interests. Various actors and organizations vie
to get their own interests accommodated in policy. At the national level, the
actors/organizations identified included those within the line ministries of
agriculture and environment, development partners, academicians, NGOs,
civil society and the private sector. We hold that the various actors in different
ways have supported and enabled the research process, making possible
the collaborative implementation of the PAR project. This culminated in a
periodic information brochure presenting timely and relevant weather and
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