Agroecological and socioeconomic determinants of lablab (Lablab purpureus) integration in semi-arid and sub-humid farming systems of Tanzania

Lablab ( Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet) is increasingly recognized for its potential to enhance productivity, resilience, and sustainability in dryland farming systems. Despite these benefits, its acceptability in Tanzania remains low and uneven. Understanding how agroecological and climate variability influence lablab integration is critical for developing site-specific strategies that support climate-resilient agriculture under future climate scenarios. This study employed a mixed-methods approach involving 337 participants from two contrasting agroecological zones: Kondoa District in the Central Zone and Butiama District in the Lake Zone of Tanzania. Data were collected through household interviews, focus group discussions, and climatic trend analyses, enabling the integration of farmers’ perceptions with long-term climate data to generate context-specific insights. Socioeconomic factors significantly influenced lablab acceptability across both zones (P < 0.05), with over 50% of adopters being younger and middle-aged farmers (<40 years). Climate trend analysis revealed increasing warming in Butiama (0.048°C/year, R² = 0.238) accompanied by minimal rainfall increase, while Kondoa exhibited slower warming (0.0073°C/year) but a significant rise in February rainfall (Sen’s slope = 11.8 mm/year, p < 0.05). Mixed cropping systems were identified as the most suitable integration strategy, with over 70% of farmers highlighting their role in improving land equivalent ratio (LER) between 1.2 to 1.6. Acceptability was facilitated by institutional and market support but constrained by seed shortages, pests, and diseases. The findings highlight lablab’s potential to engage youth in climate-resilient agricultural innovation and to strengthen dryland resilience under changing climatic conditions. Targeted, zone-specific scaling strategies that address seed systems, pest management, and market linkages are essential. These insights provide timely evidence to inform policy and programmatic interventions aligned with Tanzania’s ASDP II and broader food security and climate-smart agriculture frameworks in Sub-Saharan Africa.