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Tanzanian herders get free cows to cope with drought
Posted by AlertNet: Kizito Makoye on August 21st, 2012
AlertNet: As recurring drought afflicts much of East Africa's drylands, the Tanzanian government is trying to save the livelihoods of traditional herders by giving them free animals.
The Cattle Replenishing Initiative aims to rebuild the stocks of herders who have lost thousands of cattle, goats, sheep and donkeys during the worst drought in the country's history, which began in 2008. Many experts believe increasingly erratic rainfall is linked to climate change.
President Jakaya Kikwete asserts that,...
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Deforestation fuels temperature hikes around Mt. Kilimanjaro
Posted by AlertNet: Kizito Makoye on August 7th, 2012
AlertNet: A logging boom has hit Tanzania's tourist-drawing Kilimanjaro region, reducing the region's native forests, hitting rainfall and leading to unusually high temperatures.
The increasingly extreme weather has come as a surprise to people who live a stone's throw from one of the world's heritage sites, and who had been used to a cold, misty climate.
Joshua Meena, 72, a resident of Machame, told AlertNet that the annual rainfall in the region has been dwindling from year to year over the past decade,...
Drought drives Tanzanian herders into conflict with farmers
Posted by AlertNet: Kizito Makoye on June 12th, 2012
AlertNet: Deadly conflicts are erupting in Tanzania's southeastern Rufiji valley, as farmers clash with pastoralists who are being pushed into the area by drought, seeking land and water for their animals.
Hundreds of herdsmen from the nearby regions of Iringa and Morogoro are streaming towards the Pwani (Coast) Region's Rufiji Delta with thousands of their cattle, officials say.
This movement is causing tensions between the livestock keepers, who are desperately searching for new pasture, and local...
Salty soils drive Tanzanian farmers into forest reserve
Posted by AlertNet: Kizito Makoye on January 31st, 2012
AlertNet: Thousands of farmers in Tanzania's Rufiji Delta have been accused of destroying mangroves as they search for new land to grow their rice crops, which are being damaged by salt-water intrusion.
The salt water, pushed inland by surging tides from the Indian Ocean, is damaging fields of rice seedlings. Farmers in several villages in the river basin, which sprawls across the east African nation's southern half, have seen yields fall as a result.
With thousands of hectares affected by saline intrusion,...
Drought worsens power crisis in Tanzania
Posted by AlertNet: Kizito Makoye on September 22nd, 2011
AlertNet: A persistent drought affecting much of Tanzania has depleted water levels in the Great Ruaha River, plunging much of this hydropower-reliant country into power cuts that are hurting businesses, tourism and government revenue.
The drought, attributed to the effects of climate change, has substantially crippled the operations of major hydropower facilities along the river. Clearing of trees and vegetation by villagers in the river delta is contributing to further water loss.
According to the...