Food Security: The Tanzanian Case

The 2007–08 international food crisis had a modest impact on Tanzania compared to other poor countries, with an estimated 0.5–1% of the population driven into poverty, primarily in urban areas. While short-term government interventions like export bans and tariff reductions showed limited evidence of effectiveness, long-term economic reforms since the early 2000s helped the country maintain agricultural exports. The study highlights a persistent challenge in stabilizing agricultural output growth and suggests that greater integration with global markets could serve as insurance against domestic production shocks.

• The 2007–08 international food crisis drove between 0.5% and 1% of the Tanzanian population into poverty, as measured by the national poverty line, with these effects primarily clustered in urban regions.
• Tanzania's agricultural markets are poorly integrated with international markets, yet the sector remained vulnerable to international price shocks, which caused correlations between domestic and international prices to rise rapidly during crises.
• The Tanzanian government responded to the crisis with trade-related measures, including temporary export bans and lower import tariffs, followed by domestic incentives such as micro-credits for production and subsidies on food consumption via lower excises and value-added tax.
• Despite the implementation of an export ban, Tanzania actually increased its crop exports during the crisis period, suggesting the policy may not have been effectively enforced.
• The impact of the food crisis varied by socioeconomic status: lower-income classes and those engaged in agricultural activity were more likely to benefit from rising food prices, while urban residents and highly educated individuals—who are less likely to produce food—suffered negative income effects.
• While Tanzania increased agricultural output following reforms in the early 2000s, this growth was accompanied by higher production volatility, increasing the population's vulnerability to domestic shocks.

APA

Kiratu, S., Märker, L., & Mwakolobo, A. (2011). Food Security: The Tanzanian Case. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_tanzanian.pdf

Chicago

Kiratu, Sheila, Lutz Märker, and Adam Mwakolobo. Food Security: The Tanzanian Case. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_tanzanian.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kiratu |first1=Sheila |last2=Märker |first2=Lutz |last3=Mwakolobo |first3=Adam |title=Food Security: The Tanzanian Case |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_tanzanian.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kiratu2011food, author = {Kiratu, Sheila and Märker, Lutz and Mwakolobo, Adam}, title = {{Food Security: The Tanzanian Case}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/food_security_tanzanian.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }