Potential research sites
0) Sokoine University (450 mwtwr, 800 mm)
1) Uruguru mountains high altitude
Sokoine Research station at 1300 meters
Old horticultural research and dev program by French/ Montpellier
Loamy soil, steep slopes, every field deep ridged (40-70 cm height with ridges)
Major crops: apples, peaches, but mostly vegetables (cabbage, tomato, Irish potato, formerly
also French beans)
High income, no electricity
Matrimonial land tenure system, individual plots, most households in villages, but also some
dispersion, extreme land scarcity, farm size around 1 hectare
Lots of socio-economic surveys by students/research projects
Annual rainfall above 1000 mm
Several cropping seasons, some fields with gravity irrigation
Large vegetable market, operates twice a week
Road passable all year round
Rainfall meteo station was dismantled about 2002
During French time there was data collection (ask CIRAD, Montpellier, perhaps about data)
Very nice research station with accommodation facilities owned by Sokoine
Travel time to Sokoine: about 1 hour, 4WD in rainy season necessary
Animal: pig fattening, some milk goats, some dairy cows
Highly intensive location
2) Uruguru mountains medium altitude (700 – 1000 meters, rainfall unknown, but
perhaps 900-1000 mm)
About 300 meters below research station it is getting drier (Lee side)
Major crops: pigeon peas, maize, beans, sweet potato, cassava
Lower income, much land available, but still with considerable slopes, sparsely populated,
some fields also ridged
Travel time to Sokoine: about 40 minutes
3) Irrigation plain (Dakawa, Cholima research station)
Altitude: 360 meters
Potential water shed situation with Mount Nguru, further up the water shed is a second
irrigation scheme with gravity irrigation, and also a large sugar cane plantation
This research station is owned by the Min of Agriculture. Head is Dr. Miambo, she is a
former B.Sc./M.Sc. graduate of Sokoine. She welcomes research. Plots are available for
experiments for free on 100 hectare irrigated state-owned farm, but could be also made on 50
hectares of unused rainfed arable land behind station (but perhaps with partial irrigation
facilities, not checked). Buildings of exp station are fully fenced and guarded. Agricultural
equipment is there. Sleeping possibilities for students in nearby villages.
The perimeter is about 2000 hectare, 1900 hectares are owned by smallholders. Irrigiation
systems is managed by smallholder cooperative, 40000 TSh per hectare per season to pay for
irrigation water irrespective of amount. Water is lifted with electricity pumps (gets
increasingly expensive).
Rice yields vary between 2 to 4 tons without phosphate/kalium. Top is 5 tons. Large
heterogeneity in perimeter w.r.t soils, some have subsoil turned up as possible reason. Dr.
Miambo knows the places. Collaboration with IRRI on rice breeding on-going (saw
experimental plots).
Major crops: Rice, and maize and cassava (dryland) and sweet potato, tomatoes as second
crop in few irrigated plots.
One staple food crop harvest only in June/July/August, so irrigation during rainy season.
(water lifting costs were too high for irrigation during the dry season, there is no lack of river
water for irrigation).
Major rainfall period is December thru May, with peaks in February/March/April period.
On the dryland, maize and cassava and beans are grown. Issues are high uncertainty about
- when rains start (December rains become unreliable, there can be dryspells in January)
- how much rain
- selection of drought resistant maize varieties on-going, no breakthrough, collaboration
with Cimmyt and with major research station at Ilonga (100 kilometers south of
Dakawa where there is a large maize breeding research program).
Major animals: cattle, and meat goats
Travel time to Sokoine: 60 minutes
ROAD FROM DAWAKA TO GAIRA
Between Dakawa and Gaira are large stretches of miombo woodland for extensive grazing by
Massai herdsmen, in high rainfall areas sometimes interspersed by teak plantation or cashew
trees (trial stage).
Scattered, few oil palms and coconut palms away from the station seen on the road to Gaira.
Saw also sisal, teak and cashew nuts on the way to Gaira.
Landscape becomes steadily drier.
4) 20 kilometers west of Gaira (semiarid 500-600 mm)
Two thirds of Tanzania are semiarid.
Major crops: Maize (extensively cultivated, wide spacing), intercropped with pumpkin or
beans or millet?, sorghum, castor beans, a lot of pigeon peas, cassava, groundnuts
Altitude (somewhat higher than Dawaka); estimate is around 550 meter
Income level: impression is much poorer than in the humid parts of the Morogoro region
Major animals: goats, cattle
Travel time to Sokoine: 150 minutes, about 170 kilometers away on a very good national road
leading to Dodoma.
We visited a large, modern market for maize. Maize is for domestic consumption, but also
export.
Seasonal price changes for maize are there.
Land in this region is not scarce at all.
Unknown whether land is rotated after some time. We guess that plots are abandoned and left
unmanaged fallow after some time, and new plots for crops are set up for some years, as land
is not scarce.
Sandy soil.
Sweet potatoes grew quite well in August (this was east of Gaira, but still in dry part). There
was some ridging.
Some intercropping, probably as a risk response.
Few creeks carried water in this region during early August.
Definitely gets drier until December when first rains might start. Peak rainy season here is
also February thru May.
Temperature was about 25 degrees, in summer up to 35 degrees.
Conclusion:
The greater Gaira –Dawaku-Kilosa region has also some mountains with peaks up to 2200
meters (Mount Mamwera 2200 meters, Mount Nguru).
A potential sequence could be between Gairo and Kitete (or Ilonga research station, the
research station of the Min of Agriculture for the Eastern Region of Tanzania) with Mount
Mamwera in between.
This sequence would have the advantage of providing two gradients:
- South side higher rainfall (LUV side), with same altitude or lower gradient than Gaira
site (North)
- North side lower rainfall, with gradient down to semiarid conditions
- The South side include several small river water sheds draining into Mkata river
- North side has one river (Choro) draining into Lukigura
- Road from Gairo to Kitete, unkown conditions
I.e. one could have two watersheds, one drier one to the North of Mount Mamwera, one or
more moister ones to the south of Mount Namwera.
Minimum amount of permanent research sites:
2:
-
Lowland (around 500m), semi-arid with irrigation facilities (for small plots)
Higher altidude, with irrigation/rainfall exclusion facilities
o Depeding on forcast scenarios it is estimates that about a 3-4 oC change could
be expected, which could potentially be covered within a hight gradient of
about 600-800 m giving a total altitude of about 1100-1300m. This might be
achieved on the road between Gairo to Mount Mamwera.
Optimal probably about 4:
- Lowland (around 500m) north side, semi-arid with irrigation facilities (for small
plots), and different soil types (soil translocation?)
- Higher altidude, with irrigation/rainfall exclusion facilities (for small plots) and
different soil types (soil translocation?)
- Mid-altidude with intermediate rainfall with irrigation//rainfall exclusion facilities (for
small plots)
- Lowland, south side, with intermediate rainfall, /rainfall exclusion facilities (for small
plots)