Examining the Linkages between Local Food Economies and Household Nutrition in Rural Tanzania

Tanzania, a low-income country with high dependence on agricultural activities, has a large number of poor people who mostly reside in rural areas and are faced with food insecurity and malnutrition. Even with the increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the share of agriculture to GDP has continued to decline and income distribution remains poor. The challenge of food security has meant that Tanzania has a score of 28.8 in the 2017 Global Hunger index and the number of undernourished people has continued to increase. The local food economy in Tanzania plays a great role in influencing incomes and food security of rural households, and therefore it is important to examine the linkage between local food economies and household food security and nutrition. This study was conducted in two districts of Tanzania that have different agro-ecological and economic conditions, Kishapu in the Shinyanga Region and Mvomero in the Morogoro Region and examined the factors within the local food economy that affect household food security status. These districts were selected basing on nutritional vulnerability, lack of nutritional interventions and differences in rain patterns, farming practices and economic activities. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected in two phases (before and after harvest) using household surveys in 2014 with the aid of structured questionnaires from 506 households as well as monthly market price surveys in 2014. Also, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect qualitative data. Four income quartiles were identified from the income data as well as four farming systems from the crop and livestock production data. Households in Mvomero had higher incomes, better market access, diversified income sources and better food security. Diet costs, influenced by price and seasons, impacted lower income households resulting to poor diet choices and more food insecurity. Households also had fewer means of coping with food and income shortages and would resort to consuming less or selling livestock and borrowing. Policies and strategies to improve farm production and farm incomes, improve market access, increase non-farm opportunities have meaningful implications for low-income rural households. These may include initiatives to improve transport and communications infrastructures, access to credit and market information, as well as nutritional education to households.