Editorial: achieving nutrition security in Tanzania by improving production, education and economics: methods, tools and applications
Loading...
Date
2022-09-20
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Frontiers
Abstract
Globally, the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet rose by 112 million
to almost 3.1 billion, reflecting the impacts of rising consumer food prices during the
pandemic (1). In this context, food security and nutrition is increasingly highlighted as a
priority among both scientists (2) and political decision makers (3).
On the African continent, this topic is of particular importance as the number of
individuals affected by undernourishment remained on a high level throughout the
2010s, and since 2019 are again rising (Figure 1)– the war in Ukraine will most likely
cause even greater problems (4). In 2021, hunger affected 278 million people in Africa.
Situated in one of the globally most affected regions, achieving food security
and nutrition is already a substantial challenge in Tanzania, with the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) (5) reporting that, between 2014 and 2020, the overall
prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the total population has affected
roughly 55-56% of the overall population. However, these already severe numbers do
not display the food security situation in 2022 adequately because the devastating
effects of the Covid-19 pandemic (6) and the subsequent spikes in global food prices since the 24th of February 2022 are not included. The latter
is especially worrying as more than 65% of imported wheat in
Tanzania derives from Russia (ca. 50%) or Ukraine (ca. 15%)
(7). Furthermore, prices for agricultural inputs, like fertilizers
and pesticides, are also increasing significantly, given that these
are mainly imported from Russia. The knock-on effects will
likewise worsen the food security situation in the near future.
Thus, the topic of this special issue is even more important
than it was when it was launched, especially as Tanzania is
likely to be among the 10 largest countries globally in 2100
(8) and, simultaneously, climate change will hit East Africa (9)
including Tanzania (10) particularly hard. The included set of
papers aim to address the overall challenge of food insecurity
from different disciplinary angles and on different analytical
levels, thus holistically displaying the magnitude of the problem
and showcasing potential pathways for solving some aspects of
the crisis.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Food security, Nutrition security, Tanzania, East Africa, Small-scale farmers, Climate change, Wood energy, Gender
Citation
Hoffmann HK, Kinabo JL, Sieber S, Stuetz W, Bonatti M, Mbwana HA, Uckert GB, Matavel CE, Hafner JM, Löhr K and Rybak C (2022) Editorial: Achieving nutrition security in Tanzania by improving production, education and economics: Methods, tools and applications. Front. Public Health 10:1014741. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1014741