Policy Options to Enhance Markets for Nutrient-Dense Foods in Tanzania

There is an urgent need to reduce alarming rates of undernutrition in Tanzania. This report analyses options for policies and interventions to improve the functioning of markets that deliver nutrient-dense foods. Currently, a set of constraints inhibit businesses from making nutrient-dense foods that reach the poor. These constraints affect businesses across the spectrum, from small enterprises to large corporations, and impact on a range of food products. This report examines the case for why government and development actors in Tanzania should act to overcome these constraints. It asks how these actors might intervene by looking at five broad strategies, including various forms of regulation and public–private partnership. While no single strategy can address all the constraints completely, different interventions can address some of them and benefit certain populations. For any strategy, the first steps should be to identify the primary constraints facing a particular market and assess whether a particular approach will overcome them. The report outlines specific options for each intervention strategy, aimed at national government, donors, private-sector and non-profit organisations working in Tanzania. This analysis is based on evidence collected using multiple qualitative methods, including an extensive desk review and interviews with stakeholders in 17 organisations.UK Department for International Developmen

Promoting Biofortified Crops for Nutrition: Lessons from Orange-fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) in Tanzania

This case study examines the outcomes of interventions in Tanzania that have promoted the production and consumption of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) – a biofortified crop – with the objective of reducing vitamin A deficiencies. The report contributes to policy efforts to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture by providing lessons for the introduction of biofortified crops in Tanzania and elsewhere. The case study is particularly instructive because OFSP has been a flagship of biofortification efforts, and because Tanzania appeared to have high potential for uptake of the crop. The country is a major producer of sweet potato, although the vast majority of production is of the nutrient-poor white-fleshed varieties (WFSP). Sweet potato is an important food security crop for small farming households, particularly in Tanzania’s Lake Zone. The crop has the advantage of requiring little land and few inputs, and can be stored on-farm for several months. The crop also has commercial value, and white-fleshed varieties are available in urban markets throughout the year.UK Department for International Developmen

Forecasting yields, prices and net returns for main cereal crops in Tanzania as probability distributions: A multivariate empirical (MVE) approach

Maize (Zea mays L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) and rice (Oryza sativa) are essential staple crops to the livelihoods of many Tanzanians. But the future productivity of these crops is highly uncertain due to many factors including overdependence on rain-fed, poor agricultural practices and climate change and variability. Despite the multiple risks and constraints, it is vital to highlight the pathways of cereal production in the country. Understanding the pathways of cereals helps to inform policymakers, so they can make better decisions to improve the viability of the sector and its potential to increase food production and income for the majority population. In this study, we employ a Monte Carlo simulation approach to develop a multivariate empirical (MVE) distribution model to simulate stochastic variables for main cereal crops in Tanzania. Eleven years (2008–2018) of yields and prices data for maize, sorghum and rice were used in the model to simulate and forecast yields and prices in Dodoma and Morogoro regions of Tanzania for a seven-year period, from 2019 to 2025. Dodoma and Morogoro regions represent semi-arid and sub-humid agro-ecological zones, respectively. The simulated yields and prices were used with total costs and total area harvested for each crop to calculate the probable net present value (NPV) for each agro-ecological zone. The results on crop yield show a slightly increasing trend for all three crops in Dodoma region. Likewise, rice yield is expected to marginally increase in Morogoro with a decreasing trend for maize and sorghum, meanwhile, the prices for the three crops all are projected to increase for the two regions. Generally, the results on economic feasibility in terms of NPV revealed a high probability of success for all the crops in Dodoma despite a higher relative risk for rice. The results in Morogoro presented a high probability of success for rice and sorghum with maize indicating the highest relative risk, and a 2.41% probability of negative NPV. This study helps to better understand the outlook of the main cereal crop sub-sectors in two agro-ecological zones of Tanzania over the next seven years. With high dependence on rain-fed agriculture, production of main cereals in Tanzania are likely to face a high degree of risk and uncertainty threatening livelihoods, incomes and foo

The profitability of inorganic fertilizer use in smallholder maize production in Tanzania : Implications for alternative and complementary strategies to improve smallholder maize productivity

We use plot-level data from the National Panel Survey to estimate maize - N respon se rates and the profitability of inorganic fertilizer use. We find that average smallholder maize-N response rates are not even 50% of those from zonal center trials, implying that there is a considerable gap between actual and potential returns from fertilizer use. Fertilizer use on maize is only marginally profitable for farmers with average response rates, even in higher potential zones. Farmers who used improved maize seed, fallowed a plot more recently and/or received an extension visit have higher response rates and more profitable fertilizer use, yet fallowing is infrequent and extension does not reach most farmers

Promoting youth engagement in agriculture through land titling programs: Evidence from Tanzania

In many African countries, land access and tenure insecurity pose significant challenges to agriculture, in particular for the youth. As the farming population ages, young people are expected to take over, but they don't often show much interest in farming, which could harm the future of agriculture in Africa, where the population is the youngest. Land reforms and titling programs are suggested as amongst strategies to make agriculture more attractive to investors and promote youth involvement. As a result, majority African countries undertook reforms such as land titling, ownership mapping and market facilitation as policy prescriptions for promoting youth involvement in agriculture. Nonetheless, the impact of these programs is not well documented in the body of literature thus constraining policy decisions. This study examines the impact of land titling on youth participation in agriculture in Tanzania, using 2020/2021's wave of Tanzania national panel survey data with a sample size of 2725 youth households from 419 enumeration areas. The study finds that land titling is a critical factor in promoting youth participation in agriculture in Tanzania, with young people who have titled land tending to allocate more resources (time) to farming activities. The study also identified farm size, educational level, and land dispute experience as significant factors influencing youth participation in agriculture. Based on these findings, the study recommends interventions to promote youth participation in agriculture in Tanzania, including investing in land titling programs that specifically target young people and promoting educational programs that equip young people with foundational skills. The study also highlights the need for tailored interventions that address the specific needs of different groups of young people. Overall, the study underlines the importance of promoting youth participation in agriculture in Tanzania and by extension to other African countries to contribute to food security and rural development