Changing livelihoods on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: Challenges and opportunities in the Chagga homegarden system
Changing livelihoods on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: Challenges and opportunities in the Chagga homegarden system
复制标题
坦桑尼亚乞力马扎罗山山坡上生计的改变：Chagga 家庭花园系统的挑战和机遇
作者：
E. Soini
山基利曼哈罗地区拥有古老的查加农林系统，是坦桑尼亚最具生产力的农业地区之一。今天，该地区正面临着影响人们生计的若干挑战。研究咖啡价格低，人口压力和随之而来的土地利用变化对农业系统和山南坡人民生计的影响。坦桑尼亚基利曼哈罗进行了访谈调查。在研究和检验农业生产与某些社会经济变量（资产）之间的相互关系时，使用了多元回归分析。从9个不同的自变量中，只有土地面积和农民年龄对主要作物种植的收入有统计学显著影响。这表明，家庭有许多不同的资产组合和具体农场的时间变化的战略和目标，它是不可能找到明确的模式的资产和战略，将导致成功的生计成果。由于世界市场咖啡价格下跌，农民一直在寻找替代品来赚取现金。由于土地稀缺既阻碍了耕种的扩大，也阻碍了牲畜饲养的扩大，因此，更加集约化和多样化的生产和农场外活动变得至关重要。迫切需要对该地区新的农业选择进行技术研究和试验，并需要了解和创造销售渠道。
Mt. Kilimanjaro area with the old Chagga agroforestry system has been one of the most productive agricultural areas is Tanzania. Today the area is facing several challenges that affect people’s livelihoods. To study implications of low coffee price, population pressure and ensuing land use change on the farming systems and livelihoods of the people of the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, an interview survey was conducted. A multivariate regression analysis was used in studying and testing the interrelationships between farm production and some socio-economic variables (assets). From nine different independent variables only land size and farmers age had statistically significant influence on revenue from the main crops grown. This suggests that families have so many different combinations of assets and farm-specific temporally varying strategies and objectives that it is not possible to find clear patterns of assets and strategies that would lead to successful livelihood outcomes. Due to sinking coffee prices in the world market, farmers have been looking for alternatives to earn cash. As land scarcity hinders both expansion of cultivation and expansion of animal keeping, more intensified and diversified production and off-farm activities have become crucial. There is an urgent need for technical research and experimentation on new agricultural options for the area and a need of understanding and creation of marketing channels.