This paper focuses on participatory testing of decision making tools (DMTs) at village level to assist in development of land use plans (LUPs) for sustainable land management (SLM) in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Dat...This paper focuses on participatory testing of decision making tools (DMTs) at village level to assist in development of land use plans (LUPs) for sustainable land management (SLM) in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Data were collected using conditional surveys through key informant interviews with the project’s district stakeholders in each district, focused group discussions with selected villagers and participatory mapping of natural resources. Soil health, land degradation, carbon stock, and hydrological conditions were assessed in the seven pilot villages in all seven districts using DMTs as part of testing and validation. Results indicated soils of poor to medium health, and land degradation as portrayed by gullies and wind erosion in lowlands and better in uplands. Carbon and forest disturbance status could not be assessed using one-year data but hydrological analysis revealed that water resources were relatively good in uplands and poor in the lowlands. Challenges with regard to land use include increased gully erosion, decreased stream flow, reduced vegetation cover due to shifting from coffee with tree sheds to annual crops farming, cultivation near water sources, and overgrazing. Empowering the community with decision making tools at village level is essential to ensure that village land uses are planned in a participatory manner for sustainable land and natural resources management in Kilimanjaro and other regions in Tanzania.展开更多
Collective efforts to fight mineral nutrient malnutrition in humans require consideration of soil fertility management practices (SFMP) in vegetable production. This study aimed at establishing the relationship betwee...Collective efforts to fight mineral nutrient malnutrition in humans require consideration of soil fertility management practices (SFMP) in vegetable production. This study aimed at establishing the relationship between SFMP and vegetable nutrient concentration for human health in farming systems of Tanzania. Soil and vegetable samples collected from vegetable growing areas in Kilombero and Dodoma were analyzed for chemical properties and mineral nutrient concentration. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and correlation analysis were employed. The results showed that soil pH in Kilombero ranged from 6.04 to 6.8 and in Dodoma ranged from 6.23 to 8.58. The organic C was low, ranged from 0.10% to 1.87%. All soils studied had sufficient Zn (0.45 to 29.3 mg/kg), Cu (0.71 to 3.23 mg/kg), Fe (3.70 to 171.7 mg/kg) and Mn (2.84 to 41.38 mg/kg). Zinc concentration in all vegetables ranged from 12.57 to 134.54 mg/kg, 14% of vegetables had low Zn (<20 mg/kg) for human health. The Cu concentration in vegetables ranged from 0.07 to 52.37 mg/kg, and vegetables from Kilombero had very low Cu (<0.10 mg/kg) for plant and human nutrition. Vegetable Fe and Mn concentration ranged from 152.95 to 1780 mg/kg and 35.10 to 321.82 mg/kg, respectively. The SFMP used did not affect mineral micronutrients concentration in vegetables, but affected soil Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn concentrations. Soil pH, Zn, and CEC correlated with vegetable Cu, K, Mg, Zn, P and Fe concentrations, and differed among soils. Therefore, soil properties differed with SFMP, and both determined mineral concentrations in vegetables for human health.展开更多
文摘This paper focuses on participatory testing of decision making tools (DMTs) at village level to assist in development of land use plans (LUPs) for sustainable land management (SLM) in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. Data were collected using conditional surveys through key informant interviews with the project’s district stakeholders in each district, focused group discussions with selected villagers and participatory mapping of natural resources. Soil health, land degradation, carbon stock, and hydrological conditions were assessed in the seven pilot villages in all seven districts using DMTs as part of testing and validation. Results indicated soils of poor to medium health, and land degradation as portrayed by gullies and wind erosion in lowlands and better in uplands. Carbon and forest disturbance status could not be assessed using one-year data but hydrological analysis revealed that water resources were relatively good in uplands and poor in the lowlands. Challenges with regard to land use include increased gully erosion, decreased stream flow, reduced vegetation cover due to shifting from coffee with tree sheds to annual crops farming, cultivation near water sources, and overgrazing. Empowering the community with decision making tools at village level is essential to ensure that village land uses are planned in a participatory manner for sustainable land and natural resources management in Kilimanjaro and other regions in Tanzania.
文摘Collective efforts to fight mineral nutrient malnutrition in humans require consideration of soil fertility management practices (SFMP) in vegetable production. This study aimed at establishing the relationship between SFMP and vegetable nutrient concentration for human health in farming systems of Tanzania. Soil and vegetable samples collected from vegetable growing areas in Kilombero and Dodoma were analyzed for chemical properties and mineral nutrient concentration. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and correlation analysis were employed. The results showed that soil pH in Kilombero ranged from 6.04 to 6.8 and in Dodoma ranged from 6.23 to 8.58. The organic C was low, ranged from 0.10% to 1.87%. All soils studied had sufficient Zn (0.45 to 29.3 mg/kg), Cu (0.71 to 3.23 mg/kg), Fe (3.70 to 171.7 mg/kg) and Mn (2.84 to 41.38 mg/kg). Zinc concentration in all vegetables ranged from 12.57 to 134.54 mg/kg, 14% of vegetables had low Zn (<20 mg/kg) for human health. The Cu concentration in vegetables ranged from 0.07 to 52.37 mg/kg, and vegetables from Kilombero had very low Cu (<0.10 mg/kg) for plant and human nutrition. Vegetable Fe and Mn concentration ranged from 152.95 to 1780 mg/kg and 35.10 to 321.82 mg/kg, respectively. The SFMP used did not affect mineral micronutrients concentration in vegetables, but affected soil Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn concentrations. Soil pH, Zn, and CEC correlated with vegetable Cu, K, Mg, Zn, P and Fe concentrations, and differed among soils. Therefore, soil properties differed with SFMP, and both determined mineral concentrations in vegetables for human health.
