Khadija Ramadhani Ali

Khadija Ramadhani Ali is a native of Ugunja in Zanzibar. She was born and raised on the island and recalls her youth when she would see a lot of animals, fruits and trees in her surrounding village.  She vividly recalls that when going to the forest to cut firewood for cooking, she would see many different species of animals and varieties of fruits, which were present in abundance. She also remembers that the rains were very predictable and consistent. For example, the ‘masika’, ‘vuli’ and ‘mchororo’ rains were expected; one knew exactly when the rains would start and what crop should be planted in order to maximize yields. This meant that people could plan and grow their crops accordingly and be able to see good yields both for domestic consumption as well as for market.  But Khadija feels all of this has changed.  Rains are no longer predictable, and it feels hotter than before due to the lack of rains. This has negatively affected crop production and has increased the presence of diseases in crops. With less rains, there are certain kinds of fish that are also affected. For example, ‘dagaa’ are now difficult to come by in Ugunja. 

 

As a result, people are going into the forests and cutting trees to sell wood to supplement their reduced incomes from their crops. This increased deforestation has led to less biodiverse forests, with fewer animals and food. All of these changes have directly impacted the economy of Unguja.  They have also impacted the lives of women. Women tend to be more involved in the farming, in collecting firework, as well as childrearing, so the changing climatic conditions has impacted every aspect of their lives and life is becoming more difficult.