Eliciting smallholder farmers’ tradeoffs and preferences on the attributes of climate smart agriculture in the breadbasket areas of Tanzania using a conjoint experiment method
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Date
2015-11-13
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Science Publishing Group
Abstract
While policy and decision-makers are striving to enhance food security amidst maddening impacts of climate
change, climate smart agriculture is thought of as a promising breakthrough for responding to climate change impacts in
Tanzania and elsewhere in the world as it strives to increase food productivity; build resilience of agricultural systems to climate
change impacts and reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emission. Studies show that agricultural sector is both, a cause and a
victim of climate change. It significantly contributes greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. However, achieving climate change
mitigation through agriculture without compromising food security is a huge policy and research challenge, some scientists say,
it is practically impossible. This study sought to determine tradeoffs and preferences of smallholder farmers on the attributes
climate smart agricultural practices, specifically modeling choices of smallholder farmers using choice experiment method.
Upon estimating three different models, positive utilities were observed in high productivity, Moderate and low GHG emission
as well as on moderate and high resilient farming systems. Smallholder farmers showed a complete disutility on low and
moderate agricultural productivity, high GHG emission and low resilient farming systems. The models therefore justified the fact
that, attaining more yield without a compromise in greenhouse gas emission reduction targets is a blue-sky dream. In order to
concisely inform policy, more research on farmers’ preference and tradeoff on the attributes is needed to establish a scientific and
logical progression about the tradeoffs people are willing to make with regard to the attributes of climate smart agriculture
practices.
Description
International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
2015; 3(6): pp. 188-193
Keywords
Smallholder Farmers, Preference Modeling, Climate Smart Agriculture, Choice Experiment