Towards establishing an effective data management system in Tanzania: A comparative analysis of scientific climate data and farmers’ perception of climate change and variability

Abstract

This paper examines and compares farmers’ perceptions of climate change with climate data
from the Tanzania Meteorological Agency from 2002 to 2011. Data was collected from
Singida and Dodoma regions in Tanzania using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data.
Quantitative data were derived from climatic records and semi-structured interviews. Key
survey findings indicate that farmers perceived increased temperatures and unpredictable
rainfall patterns. Findings based on weather data also confirmed erratic rainfall patterns
and increased temperature and showed corroboration between farmers’ perceptions and
scientific evidence from climate data. To promote accuracy and reliability of climate data in
decision-making, the study recommends the use of mobile phone devices and cloud
computing technology to foster timely collection of weather data and proper record-keeping.
It suggests that a clear policy framework should be formulated to guide controlling and
managing of weather data records from initial production to their final deposition centre.