Adoption patterns and determinants of climate-smart agricultural technologies across agro-ecological zones of Mvomero district in Tanzania

Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is increasingly becoming an effective approach for enhancing resilience to climate change impacts, and simultaneously improving agricultural productivity. Nonetheless, empirical evidence on the adoption of CSA technologies across different agro-ecological zones in Tanzania is inadequate. This study was conducted in the Mvomero district in Tanzania to fill this knowledge gap. The study employed a cross-sectional research design to collect quantitative data from 267 randomly selected smallholder farmers using a household survey, and qualitative data collected from 9 key informants in the Alluvial plain, Highland and Mountain, and Miombo woodland agro-ecological zones. The Chi-square tests were used to analyse adoption patterns, while a Multivariate Probit (MVP) model was employed to examine the determinants of CSA adoption. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. The results demonstrate high adoption of intercropping, organic fertilisers, and crop rotation. Adoption differed significantly at p ≤ 0.05 across agro-ecological zones. Empirically, agro-ecological zones influenced adoption of CSA technologies (p ≤ 0.05). Other factors were socio-economic, farm characteristics, institutional factors, access to climate information and use of ICT. Farmers reported improved yields and profitability as the main benefits, while limited climate information, and inadequate credit were the major challenges. These also differed by agro-ecological zones (p ≤ 0.05). Therefore, adoption of CSA technologies, enablers, benefits and challenges cannot be generalised across different agro-ecological zones. The study recommends customising support of CSA interventions based on the agro-ecological contexts. Furthermore, we recommend strengthening CSA within national climate adaptation and agricultural policy frameworks to enhance targeted support and promote inclusive climate-resilient development.