Table 2 Effects of climatic stressors on seaweed farming as mentioned by participants
From: Adaptation of Seaweed Farmers in Zanzibar to the Impacts of Climate Change
Stressor | Effects | % participants | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
Increased sea temperatures | More disease – “ice–ice” disease which turns the seaweed white, causes it to rot | 61% | There is disease during the summer, the water got hot and boiled the seaweed (Independent female farmer, Paje, July 2017) It is getting worse because now the sun is very high and hot and so the disease is worse (Female seaweed farmer partaking in value addition, Paje, July 2019) |
Increased sea temperatures | Epiphytic algae, causes seaweed to rot | 28% | There is a type of seagrass that grows on the seaweed and causes it to rot… I wanted to cry because there was so much (Female farmer employed at the seaweed business, Paje, July 2019) |
Increased wind speed | Lower yields as seaweed breaks off the rope and farms get destroyed | 50% | Due to the changing of the weather, the seaweed that we plant gets ripped off by the wind. We plant a lot but when we go to harvest it there is not much there (Independent female farmer, Bweleo, July 2017) |
Changes in rainfall patterns | Lower yields as destroys the harvest if it gets wet whilst drying | 19% | During the rainfall we plant it but we don’t harvest it because it is difficult to dry it (Independent female farmer, Paje, July 2017) |