How Sinyanga residents are coping with nagging drought

Kishapu. It has been raining in most parts of Tanzania for over a week now as announced by the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA)—to the extent of flooding some parts of the country such as Dar es Salaam and Tanga. However, in Shinyanga, a region hit by drought, even a drizzle comes as luck to the residents.
Last week, while on a long trip, across Tanzania, a spectacle of greenish vegetation dominated my sight as I travelled through Mwanza Region, having made a 1000 kilometre journey from Dar es Salaam, the country’s commercial capital. It had been raining in most districts that I crossed.
However, on approaching Shinyanga Town, the rains began to diminish, the sunburn became severe and the greenish vegetation began to disappear.
Here comes Ngofila Village in Kishapu District and the feeling that one has arrived in a completely different part of Tanzania is what strikes you.  Greenish vegetation is a rare phenomenon in this village, trees are dry and scattered, yet there are signs of deforestation almost everywhere.     
Walking through the village, an old man stands close to his house. He is Elias Mbuga, 60. His clothes are blown by strong winds. He seems not to be bothered. though. The dust is almost everywhere. “This is normal here,’’ he says as he gets into his mud-walled house as I try to speak to him in vain.
My journey continues. Unlike in other places in the region, seeing fruit trees like mangoes or oranges in Ngofila may take you a whole day and you may probably not see any. Trees are dry and scattered, very few appear green.     
When the Sun gets hotter, the animals in other regions prefer to sit under the trees, but in Ngofila village, the goats run close to people’s houses to cool themselves in shade. Trees aren’t enough to offer shade. Agriculture is difficult to practise here, much as it’s the residents’ major mode of production.
But, this seems not to be a problem to some residents who engage in new sorghum  class farming that resists weather shocks and other crop related risks such a bird’s crop damage.
Due to drought, some crops have failed to grow as various organizations continue to find ways to help farmers.  Oxfam Tanzania, in collaboration with Relief Development Society (Redeso), has introduced the resilience project that intends to liberate families by introducing new white sorghum seeds that tolerate climate change and  crop damage by birds.   
When I finally return to Ngofilla Village, Mr Elias Mbuga is ready to talk, recounting his story as a farmer who was born in the village. He has a family of 13 children and 18 grandchildren, a typical example of most farmers in this area.   
For three consecutive years, Mr Mbuga and his wife Maria Simon have struggled with farming so that they could afford basic needs for their children and other family members. Mbuga’s wife has a story to tell.
Maria gave birth to twin children back in 1985.  Her twins failed to be enrolled in primary school because of financial challenges. Until now the identical twins, who are now grown up, neither know to read nor to write, but that didn’t stop the family from working harder and ensuring the other children got education.
Mr Mbuga who, throughout the interview had a happy face, says his children were living in a very difficult situation as they sometimes a single meal was a problem to them. So they were just struggling. However, after being empowered with better agricultural means, their difficulties in life have now remained history.

Successful Journey
“I am at this level because I listened to extension officers, but also my dream was to see my children go to school to get an education. Unfortunately, my first twins don’t know how to read and write but I taught them about farming and are doing well now,” Mr Mbuga says.
Although he may not have gained huge successes, he is now able to help his family get out of hunger.
“I managed to build another house in which I live with my wife, my first born children who are twins are also married and live happily with their wives,” he says.
A part from getting food for his family, he also sells seeds to other farmers who have decided to follow in his steps whereby he sells a bucket to 20 kilograms for up to Sh10, 000 when the demand is very high.
Mr Mbuga wishes fellow villagers had engaged in contemporary sorghum farming because it can resist climate change.
He owns over 16 acres of land whereby out of that 10 acres he cultivates white sorghum from which he expects  to harvest over 20 bags of 100 kilogram, this year. He uses the remaining acres to cultivate cotton and other food crops.
 Oxfam Tanzania, in partnership with Relief to Development Society (Redeso), is implementing the resilience project in Kishapu that encourages residents to embark on farming that tolerates climate change.
The new sorghum seed, known as Jidapandani in the Sukuma language means ‘seeds that cannot be damaged by birds, is now the two organizations trying to encourage farmers to engage with.
Speaking to The Citizen during the tour, an officer from Redeso, Ms Elica Karuta, said due to drought, Kishapu District office directed each household to ensure they allocate three acres of sorghum cultivation.
Unfortunately, the sorghum they were using was damaged by birds so they did not get good harvests and some stopped and focused on other food crops, which, however, could not flourish due to drought and rains, which were below the minimum average.
“We held a meeting with farmers to find out why they did not want to grow sorghum, but they told us there was a villager who planted the Jidapandani seed, which was not damaged by birds. So, we took and tested that seed that brought positive results and farmers like it,” she said
“We are currently holding talks  with the district office to take the seed to Kilosa for more laboratory tests and approval so that we can  spread it to other parts of the region because farmers have accepted it,” she said

Local government
The village’s extension officer, Mr Mathias Nyanda, said the soil in Kishapu is very good for farming but drought is a big challenge.
He added farmers should opt the crop that can resist climate change, saying sorghum is among them.
The new sorghum seed is not damaged by birds because when it grows, its leaf spreads whereby birds cannot eat it, but the previous seed, its leaf grows vertically to make it easier for birds to damage. Currently,  more than 200 villagers have engaged in such farming.
“Since we introduced the new seed this year, we have seen progress as farmers have started to believe it after seeing positive results from this farmer. It is an indigenous seed, which  is not hybrid.
We will continue to advise this village to plant this seed because we are supposed to mitigate climate change in different ways so that people can have sufficient food,” he said.