Asha Omary, a 38-year-old farmer in Tanzania’s Kiroka village, faces a grim reality. Her once-thriving rice fields are now stunted, with yellowing leaves and dry soil. For five years, USAID-supported programs taught her how to grow more rice with less water and reduce soil erosion. But this year, the support vanished.
“We had help for years,” Omary said. “Now we are alone.” Her husband, Juma, takes odd jobs to make ends meet. Without expert advice, pests and weeds overrun her fields, and vital terracing techniques are deteriorating. Omary and her fellow farmers have seen their hopes dim as US climate aid ended without notice.
These programs were lifelines for many Tanzanian farmers battling erratic rainfall and rising temperatures. Farmers were taught sustainable practices, like the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), which improved yields without flooding. In Morogoro, small dams and drought-resistant crops were introduced. In Mwanga, farmers used harvested rainwater for irrigation.
The sudden aid cut has had a ripple effect. The Rufiji Basin Climate-Smart Agriculture Programme helped farmers grow millet and beans with rainwater harvesting systems. But with funding gone, promised water tanks were never delivered, and agricultural officers stopped visiting.
Experts like Lydia Mhoro from Sokoine University warn that without ongoing training, food insecurity will worsen. Tanzania has seen average temperatures rise by 1.3 degrees Celsius in 60 years, and farmers already lose 30% of their yields annually to extreme weather. With nearly 80% of Tanzanians relying on agriculture, the stakes are high.
Conservation projects also face collapse. The Tuhifadhi Maliasili Project aimed to protect wildlife corridors for elephants and black rhinos. Without funding, deforestation and human encroachment could accelerate. The Mara River Catchment Initiative, crucial for 1.2 million people and the Serengeti ecosystem, is also struggling to secure water resources.
Local officials are turning to the European Union and World Bank for help, but many worry it won’t be enough. Activists like Sarah Kaseko call it a global injustice: “The countries suffering most from climate change contributed least to it. How can the US just walk away?”
Omary’s daughter, Amina, watches her mother in the fields each morning. Despite the challenges, Omary continues planting. But without aid, she knows hunger will return. “This land is our life,” she said. “If it fails, so do we.”
For Tanzania’s smallholder farmers, the fight against climate change continues. But without support, how much longer can they endure?