The ‘Majaluba’ rice production system: A rainwater harvesting ‘Bright Spot’ in Tanzania
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Date
2018
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Abstract
The rainwater harvesting technique under consideration here is an
example of intermediate-scale external catchment runoff harvesting. The focus for
discussion is on the ‘majaluba’ system which is found in Tanzania and comprises a
network of roughly level basins each surrounded by an earth bund. Basins are
arranged in the landscape in order to collect local runoff from stony outcrops and
grazing lands in upslope areas with cattle tracks often used as conduits. The ‘majaluba’ system is used primarily for the production of rainfed lowland rice. It has
spread through autonomous diffusion of knowledge from farmer to farmer since its
introduction in the 1930s. The estimated extent of this system is around 600,000 ha
which contributes 60% of total rice production in Tanzania. This is a remarkable,
but little known, success story, and represents a water harvesting ‘bright spot,’
where sustainable intensification of smallholder agriculture has been achieved at
scale.
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Keywords
Agriculture, Sustainable intensification, Meso-catchment, Runoff harvesting, Technology adoption