What You Need to Know
The Global Food Security Initiative (GFSI) report indicates that Tanzania ranks 90th out of 113 countries in food security, reflecting a decline in affordability and quality. With a score of 45.8 for affordability, many Tanzanians face high food prices. The report emphasizes the need for improved policies to enhance food access and resilience against future shocks.
Africa-Press – Tanzania. FOR many years, the Economist Intelligence Unit, through its research arm Economist Impact, produced the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), an annual benchmark that assessed the state of food security across countries worldwide.
The index compared nations based on their ability to ensure access to affordable, safe and nutritious food.
However, the index has not been regularly updated in recent years, and the 2022 edition remains the most recent comprehensive global report released by Economist Impact.
Because of this pause, many analysts and commentators continue to reflect on the latest available findings to understand longstanding structural issues in national food systems.
This article therefore revisits and reflects on the findings that placed Tanzania within the global food security landscape.
While the numbers cited originate from the latest available index, the purpose is not to present new data but to revisit the insights that the report offered about Tanzania’s food system.
Two years ago, on this very platform, we had a conversation around the Global Food Security Index (GFSI), which was an annual report released by the Economist Intelligence Unit, under the support of Corteva for many years.
The discussion reflected on Tanzania’s performance and what the index revealed about the country’s food security situation.
In the report, Tanzania was ranked 90th among 113 countries in the world. This was a decline from its 86th position in 2021, signalling deterioration in the country’s overall food security environment.
The drop also meant that Tanzania performed below some of its regional peers such as Kenya and Rwanda, which it had previ‑ ously outperformed. By all measures, this represented a noticeable setback.
The GFSI assessed countries across four key pillars: Affordability, availability, quality and safety and sustainability and adaptation.
Affordability, according to the index, measures the ability of consumers to purchase food, their vulnerability to price shocks and the presence of programmes and policies to support consumers when shocks occur.
Availability evaluates agricultural production and on-farm capabilities, the risk of supply disruptions, na‑ tional capacity to distribute food and research efforts aimed at expanding agricultural output.
Quality and Safety examines the diversity and nutritional value of diets as well as the safety of food supplies.
Finally, Sustainability and Adaptation assesses a country’s exposure to climate change, its vulnerability to natural resource risks and the degree to which it is adapting to these threats.
Affordability: A major weakness
On affordability, Tanzania scored 45.8, placing it 98th out of 113 countries. The implication of this score is that food in Tanzania remains relatively expensive for many consumers.
This also suggests that the country has limited programmes and policy mechanisms capable of cushioning consumers when price shocks occur whether caused by inflation, supply disruptions, or global crises.
Quality and safety
On quality and safety, Tanzania performed slightly better, scoring 50.2, though it still ranked 95th globally.
This indicates that the nutritional quality of diets remains lower than in many countries. Limited dietary diversity and nutritional challenges continue to affect food security outcomes.
Sustainability and adaptation
The picture was not en‑ couraging in terms of sus‑ tainability either. Tanzania scored 41.7, placing 97th in the world.
This suggests that the country faces considerable exposure to climate change risks and natural resource pressures. It may also indicate that adaptation measures such as climateresilient agriculture, water management and environmental protection require strengthening.
Availability: The bright spot
There was, however, one bright area in Tanzania’s performance: Food availability.
The country scored 58.7, ranking 57th globally, a much stronger position compared to the other pillars. This suggests that Tanzania has relatively solid agricultural production capacity, a lower risk of supply disruption and some capability to distribute food across the country.
In the view of the index, Tanzania’s agricultural sector has the potential to produce sufficient food and expand output through research and improved farming practices.
A fragile global food system
The report also warned that food security challenges are not unique to Tanzania. Globally, the food system has been weakening due to structural pressures.
Earlier gains in food security between 2012 and 2015 slowed in the following years, and recent global shocks such as the Covid-19 pandemic, rising food prices and supply chain disruptions have exposed vulner‑ abilities in the global food system.
A reflection rather than a verdict
The purpose of this reflection is not to explain the causes behind Tanzania’s ranking. Instead, it is to highlight how the coun‑ try has been performing compared to other nations, based on the latest available global benchmarking.
Even though the Global Food Security Index is no longer being updated regularly, the insights from its most recent findings still provide an important lens through which policymak‑ ers, researchers and citizens can examine the state of the food system.
Food security remains one of the most important sectors for the country’s development.
As such, the findings should serve as a wake-up call for all stakeholders to reflect on what can be done to make food more afford‑ able, nutritious and resilient in the face of future shocks.
The Global Food Security Initiative (GFSI) has been a crucial benchmark for assessing food security worldwide, providing insights into national food systems. Tanzania’s ranking has seen a decline, indicating challenges in affordability and quality of food, which are critical for the country’s development and stability. The GFSI evaluates countries based on affordability, availability, quality and safety, and sustainability, highlighting areas needing attention for improvement in food security outcomes.
