TITLE:
Assessing the Impact of Climate Change and Variability on Pesticides-Usage for Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Farming in Zanzibar
AUTHORS:
Asha Nassib Suleiman, Kombo Hamad Kai, Khamis Othman Amour
KEYWORDS:
Rice Production, Climate Parameters, Rain-fed, Irrigation, Paired T-Test
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Climate Change,
Vol.13 No.4,
December
2,
2024
ABSTRACT: The study aimed to investigate the impact of climate change and variability on pesticide usage for rice production in Zanzibar. Anecdotal information from interviewer responses, climate datasets from the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA), rice production records (in tones) and pesticide (in liters) were acquired from Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources. Pearson correlation (p ≤ 0.05) was used to determine the relationship between rice productions, and pesticide usage under different climate conditions. Paired t-test was used to understand mean significant difference of the used parameters for 2012-2017 and 2016-2020 periods. Time series graphs and charts were used in results presentation and discussion. Results revealed a strong correlation between pesticides and rainfall with climate parameters in rain-fed farms and weak ones in irrigated farms. For instance, strong correlation of r = 0.6 to 0.8 (p ≤ 0.05) between rainfall and rice production was shown at Pondeani, and Kinyakuzi rice farms. Moreover, minimum temperature had strong correlation (r = 0.7, 0.6, and 0.5) with pesticides in rice farms of Pondeani, Mwera, Mtwango, and Kinyakuzi, respectively, while maximum temperature had weak correlations (r = ±0.4). Also, respondent’s response has shown that pesticides have large spectrum of impacts on human health, soil fertility, biodiversity, and environmental issues. Besides, results have shown that rice farmers in Zanzibar had inadequate education and skills on pesticide usage, resulting in spending more on pesticides, hence leading to poor yields. Thus, the study concludes that climate has significant impact on rain-fed rice production schemes while pesticide usage has great impact on production environment and human health. Hence, extensive awareness on effective usage of pesticide for rice farmers in Zanzibar is highly recommended.