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Survey finds most Tanzanians go hungry, despite government denials
Kizito Makoye
3 Min Read
The survey by Tanzanian think tank Twaweza found that 78 percent of people had suffered food shortages in the past three months. In rural areas the figure rose to 84 percent compared to 64 percent in cities.
The findings came despite repeated government denials that the East African country was suffering food shortages. President John Magufuli has accused opposition politicians of fomenting a “fake” hunger crisis.
The Twaweza survey said in a country where 80 percent of the population rely on subsistence farming, some families have begun skipping meals.
In February, 65 percent of respondents had worried about their families not having enough to eat in the previous seven days, compared to 45 percent last September.
The research, part of polling platform Sauti za Wananchi—Africa’s first national survey of its kind, shows a sharp decline in food availability among families in the past three months.
“The current shortages and ongoing food insecurity underline the context of general vulnerability and income poverty,” researchers said.
Drought in East Africa has sent prices of staples such as maize and sorghum soaring, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said last month.
According to Bank of Tanzania data, the wholesale price of maize, a staple crop has doubled in the past 2 years from 400 Tanzanian shillings in 2015 to 1,253 ($0.60) per kilo in 2017.
Michael Dunford, head of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Tanzania said the U.N. agency is concerned about food insecurity in Tanzania and is monitoring the situation.
“There are pockets of food insecurity in the country. More information will be apparent in the next season,” Dunford said.
He said a recent government assessment identified more than a million people in 55 districts facing acute food insecurity between now and April 2017, before the next harvest in May.
Those in need of urgent food assistance are estimated at over 118,000.
However, Tanzania’s agriculture minister for Charles Tizeba said the situation is manageable.
“We are generally satisfied by various efforts taken to bring this situation under control,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. (Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women’s rights, trafficking, resilience and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)
Survey finds most Tanzanians go hungry, despite government denials
2) Tanzania ranks 151 out of 188 countries in the Human Development Index (2015).
3) Tanzania’s economy has grown strongly in recent years, driven mainly by telecommunications, financial services, transport and construction. Despite this progress, nearly 3 Tanzanians out of 10 live in poverty, and 1 in 3 is illiterate.
4) Approximately 80 percent of the population relies on subsistence farming, which makes them vulnerable to climatic, economic and seasonal shocks. With its market access initiatives, WFP helps farmers transition from subsistence farming to market-oriented agriculture.
5) More than 200,000 refugees live in Tanzania. WFP assistance is their main source of food. Through its Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO), WFP provides a food basket of Super Cereal (fortified blended food), pulses, vegetable oil and salt to meet a minimum daily dietary requirement of 2,100 Kcal per person.
6) According to the National Nutrition Survey (2015), almost 35 percent of children under 5 in Tanzania are stunted.
7) Tanzania’s maternal mortality rate, while improving, remains high at 398 deaths per 100,000 live births. WFP is the only agency in the country to provide supplementary food to pregnant and nursing mothers and children under 5.
8) To treat moderate acute malnutrition (MAM), WFP provides a monthly take-home pack of fortified blended food to pregnant and nursing mothers and children under 5 through its Supplementary Feeding Programme (SuFP).
9) To prevent stunting, pregnant and nursing mothers and children under 2 receive a monthly take-home pack of Super Cereal under the Mother and Child Health and Nutrition (MCHN) Programme.
10) In 2016, WFP will assist half a million Tanzanians in chronically food-insecure regions, through its market access, food for assets, nutrition, school meal and refugee support activities.
UN World Food Programme