1) While Tanzania achieves self-sufficiency in major food crops nationally, there are persistent shortages in some areas and regular surpluses in others, showing food availability does not guarantee nutrition. 2) Undernutrition levels in Tanzania, as measured by stunting, underweight, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies, indicate widespread nutrition insecurity despite adequate national food availability. 3) Universities can improve national food and nutrition security through prioritizing these issues in research, developing training programs, mainstreaming related topics, and conducting agricultural research across the entire food value chain to benefit smallholder farmers.

1. Status of Food and Nutrition
Security Situation in Tanzania
Joyce Kinabo and Abel Kaaya
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania
Informing Food and Nutrition Security Policy and
Practice Workshop
Dakar, 22nd September 2015

2. Outline
• Introduction
• Food Security in Tanzania
• Food availability vs Food nutrition in Tz
• Food nutrition status in Tanzania
• Role of Universities in improving national FSN
• Conclusions

3. Introduction
• Agriculture is the most important sector in Tanzania’s
economy, contributing on average 25% of GDP and
employing about 75% of the workforce, a majority of
whom are women.
• The population in Tanzania was at 47.4 million in 2014,
an increase from 10.1 million in 1960 (an increase of
371% during the last 50 years).
• Smallholder farmers dominate, with average farm sizes
0.9 – 3 ha
• Livestock production provides risk mitigation, food
security and improved nutrition through consumption of
meat, milk and eggs but consumption of livestock and
livestock products remains low

4. Food availability
• At national level Tanzania
achieves self- sufficiency
in production of major food
crops. However, there are
areas of persistent food
shortage as well as areas
of regular food surplus.

5. Food availability vs Food nutrition
Regions with high SSR also have high stunting rates (correlation coefficient of 0.5)
Food availability is clearly not a sufficient condition for good nutrition, health and
wellbeing, hence the need for addressing both food availability and nutrition
together
Source: TDHS, 2011 (stunting) and MAFC 2010 based on 2009/10 Self-Sufficiency Ratio (SSR) data

6. Adequate care & nutrition security
• To ensure nutrition security, adequate care is crucial
• Adequate care is provision of time, attention and support
in the household and community to meet the physical,
mental and social needs of growing children and other
family members (FAO 1997).
• Care comprises a number of components such as
promotion of health, provision of clean water, sufficient
knowledge and time, cultural beliefs and practices and
food preparation.
• Care also tends to influence the way women implement
their multi-tasks at household and community level.

7. Food Nutrition Status in Tanzania
• Nutritional status of pre-school children (below five
years of age) is a proxy indicator for food security,
economic and nutritional status of the population
of a country. It is also a reflection of maternal care
and nutritional status.
• The incidence of LBW is an indication of poor
nutritional status of women during pregnancy,
which could be due to low dietary intake and
infections.

8. Nutrition situation in Tz
Prevalence of low birth weight in Tanzania 2000-2014
UNICEF reports

9. Undernutrition
• Stunting - Proxy of chronic food insecurity was 42%,
and 17% severe stunting (in 2010).

10. Underweight and Wasting
• Proxy indicator of acute
food insecurity
• Underweight was 16%
(severe 4%)
• 5% wasting (severe1%)

11. Micronutrient deficiencies
• Vitamin A deficiency affects 33% of children
(6–59 months) and 37% of women (15–49
years)
• Anaemia affects 59% of children (6 – 59
months) and 41% of women of reproductive
age
• Indicative of low availability and consumption
of micronutrient rich foods

12. Factors contributing to undernutrition
• Age, sex, residence (rural vs urban),
wealth status and level of education
influenced stunting, underweight and
wasting.
• Children of18–23 months old, male
children in rural residence and lowest
wealth quantile are likely to be stunted,
underweight and wasted

13. Role of Universities in improving
national FSN
 Prioritizing FSN issues in Universities’ Research agenda and
Research policy
 Development of Training programmes (curricula)
addressing FSN issues e.g. BSc (Human nutrition), BSc
(Family Consumer Studies), MSc (Food Security), etc
 Mainstreaming FSN topics in the existing curricula
 Carry out agricultural research and develop technologies
and innovations addressing the whole food value chain

14. Training & Research programmes at Universities
Sustainable Land
Management and
Reliable Water Control
Programmes: Integrated Soil Fertility Management, Crop science, Plant
breeding, Horticulture, Soil and soil water management, Climate change
(adaptation and mitigation), irrigation, agricultural engineering, etc
Market Access
Programmes: Agribusiness & Entrepreneurship, Consumer studies,
International trade, Legislation, etc
Sufficient Food Supply
and Reducing Hunger
Programmes: Crop production, animal production, food science, post
harvest & bio-process engineering, human nutrition, consumer studies, etc
Research Programmes: conduct research, provide education and
extension servises, outreach programmes addressing FSN
Agricultural Research

15. Concluding remark …
• On average, the food availability in Tanzania has been just
adequate, hence the need to produce more for surplus and
export. Also, the Govt. has to put in place policy and transport
infrastructure that will ensure smooth movement of food from
surplus to deficient areas
• Despite the availability, there is nutrition insecurity throughout
the country – varied levels in different regions. Hence the need for
intervention strategies to improve nutrition status
• One of the important roles of the Universities in contributing to
the achievement of national food and nutrition security is
through integrated agricultural research and building human
capacity that is capable of managing the whole food chain
sustainably and profitably with emphasis to SHFs (mainly women)

16. Thank you for your attention!