Farmers turn to new tactics to beat heavy rains

TANZANIA: AS Tanzania prepares for possible El Niño-related heavy rains, a farmer in Shinyanga, Mr Michael Kiriba, is changing the crops he intends to grow, strengthening vulnerable structures around his home and storing food to protect his family and livelihood against potential weather-related disasters.

His preparations reflect a wider challenge facing farmers and households as the country braces for 2026 Vuli rainfall season: How to safeguard food supplies, agricultural production and family safety when excessive rainfall threatens normal life.

In an exclusive interview with the ‘Daily News’ recently, Mr Kiriba said he was following precautionary advice from the government and weather experts, including the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA), while adjusting his farming plans to minimise potential losses.

“We are taking all the precautions advised by the government. Communities are increasingly aware of the need to prepare for heavy rainfall and its possible consequences,” he said.

Beyond the farm, Mr Kiriba is reinforcing vulnerable structures around his home, particularly toilets and mud-built houses, to minimise damage in the event of prolonged or heavy rainfall.

“Personally, I am reinforcing some of the structures at home. We are plastering mud-built houses with cement and strengthening our toilets to make them safer and more resilient,” he said.

He added that residents in low-lying areas prone to water accumulation were also being encouraged to consider relocating to safer ground whenever conditions threatened their safety.

For Mr Kiriba, preparedness extends beyond protecting buildings and crops. Maintaining adequate food reserves is equally important in ensuring that families can withstand disruptions if disasters occur and recovery takes longer than expected.

“People are trying to store enough food so that families can cope if a disaster occurs and normal life is disrupted for an extended period,” he said.

His preparations also include changing his crop choices to suit anticipated rainfall conditions. Rather than allocating a large portion of his land to maize, which can suffer when fields become waterlogged, he intends to prioritise rice, a crop that is better suited to wetter growing conditions.

“My first priority is to grow crops that can withstand abundant water, particularly rice. I will not cultivate maize on a large scale because our areas are vulnerable to waterlogging and maize does not perform well when rainfall is excessive,” he said.

For the maize he still intends to grow, Mr Kiriba said he would apply appropriate fertilisers and adopt modern farming practices, concentrating production on a manageable area where he could closely monitor crop development and implement recommended agronomic measures.

He said agricultural extension officers had been educating farmers through community meetings and groups, helping them understand potential risks and prepare collectively.

“Preparing for El Niño is not an individual responsibility. Agricultural experts are educating farmers through our groups, and the guidance is reaching both large-scale and small-scale producers,” he said.

He urged fellow farmers to follow expert advice and make production decisions based on local conditions rather than relying solely on customary farming practices. Despite these preparations, Mr Kiriba said Shinyanga had not received rainfall at the time of the interview, underscoring the need for continued vigilance as the season approached.

For him, the immediate priority is to protect his family while making farming decisions that reflect the conditions he expects to face. For agricultural authorities, the challenge is to ensure farmers have the information and practical support needed to adapt.

In the Coast Region, seaweed farmer Mr Juma Hassan said farmers were preparing for possible weather-related impacts by following weather forecasts and expert advice on measures to minimise potential losses.

“We understand that heavy rainfall, strong waves and changes in sea temperatures can affect our seaweed farms,” he said.

Mr Hassan said timely weather information was essential in helping farmers plan planting and harvesting schedules, identify safer cultivation sites and take precautionary measures to reduce losses.

“We appeal to the government and stakeholders in the seaweed sector to continue providing us with accurate and timely information, training and technical support. If we know in advance what may happen, we will have a better chance of taking precautionary measures,” he said.

He also called for measures to control soil erosion along the coastline before heavy rains begin, warning that runoff could carry soil and pollutants into the sea, threatening marine ecosystems.

“There is a need for effective strategies to control coastal erosion before and during the rainy season to protect marine resources, which are vital pillars of tourism and fisheries in the country,” he said.

In Buchosa District, Mwanza Region, agricultural authorities are taking similar steps by identifying flood-prone farmland, advising farmers on suitable crops and promoting cultivation methods that allow excess water to drain away.

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Buchosa District Council Agricultural Officer, Mr Nestory Mjojo, said the council had already met agricultural officers at ward and village levels to identify areas vulnerable to excessive water accumulation.

“We have identified areas with depressions and low-lying fields that tend to accumulate water, even when rainfall is not associated with El Niño. We have warned farmers about the crops they should grow during this period instead of planting what they normally grow,” he said.

The approach recognises that the effects of heavy rainfall are not uniform across farming communities. Some fields may experience prolonged waterlogging, while others may remain productive if farmers select suitable crops and adopt appropriate land preparation techniques.

Mr Mjojo said farmers in flood-prone areas had been advised to reconsider planting short-season maize, which could be destroyed by excessive water before reaching maturity.

“In areas expected to receive a lot of water, shortseason maize can be submerged, leaving farmers with little or nothing to harvest,” he said.

Instead, he said farmers in such areas were being advised to prepare their fields and plant rice when water levels receded, taking advantage of the crop’s suitability to wetter growing conditions. However, the district’s advice goes beyond crop selection.

Farmers are also being encouraged to change how they prepare their land to improve drainage and reduce the risk of standing water damaging their crops. Mr Mjojo said many farmers in Buchosa traditionally practised flat cultivation, in which land is prepared on a relatively level surface.

Although familiar to farmers, the method could leave fields holding excessive water during periods of heavy rainfall.

“We are advising farmers to use ridges because water can move through the spaces between them more easily. When you cultivate on flat land and water accumulates, the field can become like a pond,” Mr Mjojo noted.

He added that the advice also applied to some elevated areas where farmers had traditionally cultivated flat fields. Local government authorities were therefore encouraging farmers to prepare ridges instead, improving drainage and adapting their farming methods to changing weather conditions.

Mr Mjojo said the broader objective was to move farmers away from habitual practices towards production methods informed by prevailing and anticipated weather conditions. The council has also recommended long-season maize varieties for suitable areas.

Mr Mjojo said such varieties could remain in the field longer, potentially allowing crops to continue developing if rainfall extended into January before eventually subsiding. However, he stressed that the choice of crop variety must be guided by local conditions and expert recommendations rather than a blanket assumption that one crop or farming method would suit every location.

Beyond the farm, agricultural authorities are increasingly concerned about how households manage harvested food ahead of a potentially challenging rainfall season. Mr Mjojo said some farmers traditionally sold a substantial share of their harvest soon after gathering their crops, leaving comparatively little for household consumption.

With uncertainty surrounding the coming season, farmers were being encouraged to retain a larger share of their produce to protect their families against possible shortages and disruptions.

“We are advising farmers not to sell all their produce at this time. We do not know how the coming season will unfold or how long the prevailing weather conditions may last,” he said.

In Buchosa, he noted, the council recommends that farmers allocate about 60 per cent of their harvest to household food reserves and sell the remaining 40 per cent as a commercial crop.

“Food security is particularly important during a period like this. Farmers should keep 60 per cent of their harvest for food and treat the remaining 40 per cent as a business,” Mr Mjojo said.

He said the recommendation was intended to help households avoid exhausting their food supplies too early and becoming vulnerable if production, transportation or access to markets were disrupted. Moreover, Mr Mjojo urged households that normally bought small quantities of food daily to consider purchasing adequate supplies in advance, depending on their financial means and storage capacity.

“Those who are not farmers should also try to buy enough food and keep it at home. We cannot predict how the situation will develop or what effect it may have on food prices,” he said.

Such precautions, he added, could help families cope with possible market disruptions and rising food costs if severe weather affected agricultural production or food distribution. Heavy rainfall can also create conditions favourable for certain crop diseases and pests, adding another challenge for farmers already concerned about excessive moisture and potential flooding.

Mr Mjojo said the council was working with agricultural input suppliers to improve the availability of appropriate crop protection products ahead of the season. He explained that changing weather conditions could increase the occurrence of fungal diseases, particularly in horticultural crops, requiring farmers to monitor their fields closely and seek timely technical advice.

“We are working with agricultural input suppliers to ensure that the necessary products are available in their shops to help farmers respond to diseases that may emerge,” he said.

Among the concerns highlighted by the agricultural officer were fungal diseases affecting horticultural crops, aflatoxin contamination in food crops and fall armyworm attacks on maize. Aflatoxins are toxic substances produced by certain fungi that can contaminate crops, particularly maize and groundnuts, posing risks to food safety.

Mr Mjojo said farmers needed to understand the importance of preventing contamination throughout crop production, harvesting, drying and storage. Meanwhile, fall armyworms can cause significant damage to maize, particularly when they attack young plants before flowering.

He said agricultural extension officers were continuing to educate farmers about these threats and the importance of adopting appropriate preventive and control measures. Adding to the concerns, climate researcher from the Department of Geography at Saint Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), Mr Ngogo Mang’enyi, said farmers should prepare for unpredictable rainfall by adjusting planting and harvesting schedules wherever possible.

He advised farmers to protect standing crops and stored grain from pests, which could become more prevalent under wetter conditions. He also recommended prioritising early harvesting and storing mature crops in dry, raised facilities before the heaviest rains begin.

Mr Mang’enyi said preparations should also extend to livestock management, noting that wet conditions could increase the risk of pests and diseases affecting animals. He advised livestock keepers to avoid contact with sick or dead animals, refrain from consuming meat or milk from animals that had died from unknown causes, and take advantage of veterinary services and vaccinations wherever available.

“Flooding has historically been associated with Rift Valley fever outbreaks,” Mr Mang’enyi said. His recommendations underline the importance of integrating crop production, livestock management, household food security and public health into preparations for excessive rainfall.

For farmers, this means selecting suitable crops, improving drainage, adopting appropriate cultivation methods, monitoring pests and diseases, and protecting harvested food. For livestock keepers, it means strengthening disease prevention measures, maintaining contact with veterinary officers and ensuring animals receive appropriate care.

For households, it means reinforcing vulnerable structures, maintaining adequate food reserves and assessing whether their homes are safe during prolonged rainfall. These measures are particularly important because the effects of excessive rainfall can extend beyond individual farms, affecting household incomes, food availability, market access and food prices.

While the precise effects of the coming season remain uncertain, early preparations can help farmers and households reduce avoidable losses and improve their ability to recover from weather-related disruptions.

Although different communities may face different challenges, early action, informed farming decisions, reliable weather information and responsible food management will be essential in helping Tanzania’s farmers and households navigate the coming rainfall season.