This study assessed farmers’ awareness (knowledge), use (actual implementation), and perceived effectiveness of rainwater harvesting (RWH) and soil moisture conservation (SMC) techniques for maize production in the sloping highlands of Babati District, Tanzania. A mixed-methods cross-sectional design was employed, combining household surveys (n = 147), focus group discussions (FGDs), and field observations in Dareda Kati and Gajal villages in the Babati District to generate both quantitative and qualitative data. Results indicate a clear gap between awareness and use of RWH and SMC techniques. While 67.35% of respondents were aware of general stormwater management practices, awareness and use of swales and berms (fanya chini) for RWH was extremely low. Only 2.9% of the users reported using swales and berms. In contrast, contour bunds (fanya juu) had a highest usage rate (60.0%), reflecting its long-standing promotion through extension programs. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in awareness levels between the surveyed villages, suggesting that location alone does not explain variations in technology uptake. Farmers’ perceptions further revealed limited understanding of the construction and management of less familiar RWH techniques, even among the few adopters. These findings demonstrate that awareness does not necessarily translate into use and that knowledge depth and practical skills are critical for adoption of RWH and SMC on sloping landscapes. For policy and extension, the results highlight the need for targeted, hands-on training, participatory demonstrations, and strengthened extension support to improve both informed use and correct implementation of low-cost RWH and SMC techniques for resilient maize production under climate variability.
Kanyiru et al. (Sun,) studied this question.