Food security and health in the southern highlands of Tanzania: A multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the impact of climate change and other stress factors

Abstract

Tanzania like many African countries is highly vulnerable to global environmental change, particularly climate change. The impacts of particular concern are related to food production, human health and water resources. Agricultural production, which is essential to ensure food security, is weather dependent, which has occasionally subjected the country to food shortage and insecurity in years with low rainfall. Food security varies spatially and temporally depending on rainfall patterns and other multiple stress factors such as soil conditions, types of crops grown, socio-economic and cultural factors. The southern highlands of Tanzania which are the grain basket for the country are highly vulnerable to impacts of global change, especially decrease in the amounts of rainfall. In some parts, extreme events (for example, floods) have destroyed infrastructure hence affecting food distribution and access by the affected communities. Environmental change has also impacted on human health in various parts of Tanzania. The rise in mean temperatures is an important factor for increased incidences of malaria in the highlands that were traditionally free from malaria. Long-term climate records for the southern highlands of Tanzania confirm that the climate of the region is changing. Temperatures have steadily increased over the last forty to fifty years, and are closely associated with increasing prevalence of malaria and other health risks as confirmed by existing hospital records.