In the southwest of Tanzania, the Mbeya region encompasses several important areas for biodiversity. The land has a variety of productive uses, including livestock production in the drylands, irrigated rice near the rivers, small-scale maize in the hills, and fruit and plantation trees in the more humid, higher elevations, while large protected forested areas supply water to the region. Overlapping with the Mbarali cluster identified by the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), the region faces imminent challenges for ecosystems, agricultural producers, and the local communities that rely on natural resources, all of whom are vulnerable to land and water degradation. Climate change is already a factor impacting food security and livelihoods, and affects farmers’ decisions around expanding agricultural expansion, land management practices, and protected area incursion.
Original post by Raffaela Kozar (EcoAg) and Louise Willemen (EcoAg/Cornell).
