TITLE:
Effects of Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies on Maize-Common Bean Intercrops Growth and Yield Performances in Smallholder Farmer’s Fields in Semi-Arid Areas, Tanzania
AUTHORS:
George M. Karwani, Akida I. Meya, Mamo A. Teshale, Mashamba Philipo
KEYWORDS:
Climate-Smart Agriculture, Intercrops, Farmyard Manure, Improved Varieties, Tricot
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.16 No.8,
August
19,
2025
ABSTRACT: Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies (CSATs) offer promising solutions to improve climate resilience and productivity among smallholder farmers. From 2022 to 2024, a study was conducted in semi-arid areas of Tanzania to evaluate selected CSATs, including a drought-tolerant maize variety (DTMV), an early-maturing bean variety (EMBV), and farmyard manure (FYM), compared to local varieties under traditional farmer practices (FPs). Using the Triadic Comparison of Technology (Tricot) method across 135 farms, treatments were assigned in incomplete randomized sets. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and the Plackett-Luce model. Results indicated that integrating improved varieties with FYM significantly boosted yields. The highest combined maize and bean yield was obtained from the T105 + TARI B6 treatment (4.809 ± 1.034 tons/ha), followed by T105 + Selian 13 (4.788 ± 0.991 tons/ha) and T104 + TARI B6 (4.56 ± 0.270 tons/ha). In contrast, traditional practices without FYM, such as Msituka + Bjesca (local checks), yielded significantly less (2.866 ± 0.726 and 2.705 ± 0.687 tons/ha). Further, treatments responded significantly to spacing and FYM (P