Browsing by Author "Hagai, M."

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Land Cover Change Impacts on Beef Cattle Productivity under Changing Climate: Case of Ilemela and Magu Districts, Tanzania
(East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal, 2018-02-19) Nkya, S. E.; Hagai, M.; Kashaigili, J. J.
The study focused on contributing to the spatial knowledge of the impacts of land cover changes on beef cattle production under a changing climate in rangelands of the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB), so as to establish a strategy for improving beef cattle production in the area. We used supervised classification of satellite imagery to analyze land cover changes between the years 1980–2000 and 2000–2010. Results revealed that for the periods 1980–2000 and 2000–2010, settlements increased by 1% and 8%, and cultivated area increased by 0.58% and 0.30%, respectively. Riverine vegetation declined by 0.26% and increased by 0.16%, and woodlands declined by 6% and 13% respectively. The trend of beef cattle numbers against rainfall and pasture area (riverine vegetation and woodland) over the study period 1980–2010 showed a non-significant trend of increasing rainfall in the study area. In Ilemela District, pasture area and beef cattle numbers declined by 33% and 4% respectively. In Magu District, beef cattle numbers increased by 64% and pasture area declined by 84%. This implies that the effect of urbanization is more severe in Ilemela than in Magu District. Land use planning, enhancing of mixed crop-livestock farming systems, intensification of livestock practices, forage conservation, planting of fodder trees, and matching of cattle numbers with pasture availability are recommended. In addition, education is needed on effective cattle farming as a strategy for improving beef cattle production in the face of land cover changes due to climate variability in the area
Water and Pasture Availability on Livestock Routes Under a Changing Climate: A Case of Ilemela and Magu Districts in Tanzania
(Journal of the Geographical Association of Tanzania, 2017-02-07) Ernest, S.; Hagai, M.; Kashaigili, J. J.
The beef cattle production system practiced in the Lake Victoria Basin is mainly extensive, which involves cattle grazing on natural pastures. This system is characterized by overgrazing, low livestock production and soil degradation. Under the effects of global climate change, these pastoral management challenges are expected to increase. As the impacts of climate change to beef cattle production over the Lake Victoria Basin is unknown, this study used participatory mapping method and focus group discussions to assess spatial changes in livestock routes in relation to water and pasture availability in Ilemela and Magu districts of Mwanza region, Tanzania. GIS technology was used for the formalization of spatial layers. It was revealed that there were many changes in livestock routes such that some have become roads, some have been lost, and others narrowed. These changes were due to increase of settlements and cultivated areas, and more specifically a general decline of water sources and grazing land. This implies that appropriate strategies such as a land use planning, stock routings modification, education on effective cattle farming and intervention by rainwater harvesting should be designed so as to adapt to climate change effects, and improve livestock production in Ilemela and Magu districts.