The paradox of food production, consumption, poverty and malnutrition in Tanzania

Background: There have been claims amongst nutrition stakeholders in Tanzania that the food basket regions are leading in stunting prevalence. However, we could not find evidence that combines food production and stunting levels to substantiate this claim. Therefore, this study aims to compare data of stunting, food production and consumption at administrative regions in Tanzania Mainland.

Methods: The study used an ecological study design to show the relationship between stunting, poverty, and food production and consumption across administrative regions in Tanzania. The study used data from three national wide surveys: 2017/2018 Household Budget Survey (HBS), Tanzania National Nutrition Survey (TNNS) 2018 and Agriculture Statistics for Food Security report 2018/2019.

Results: The study showed that there is a positive relationship between the prevalence of stunting and food production (r=0.43, p=0.03) while there is a negative relationship between stunting and the level of both t...