COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CONSTRAINTS TO FOOD SECURITY ALONG THE URBAN-RURAL CONTINUUM OF MID-SIZED TOWNS IN TANZANIA

Household, food security, constraints, urban-rural continuum

Abstract

This study on which this article is based assessed the varying constraints to food security along the urban-rural
continuum in Morogoro and Iringa, Tanzania. A cross-sectional survey of 279 randomly selected households was
conducted using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Both descriptive and inferential analysis approaches were applied
to assess the status of and the varying constraints to food security among the surveyed households. The results show
great variations in constraints to household food security along the continuum. Households located in urban and periurban areas had more food security than the households situated in rural settings. Food security among urban and
peri-urban households was greatly constrained by low income, higher food prices, and expenditure on non-food items
whereas household food security in rural settings was mainly affected by limited market access, shortage of farm
labour, lack of access to agricultural inputs, drought, and soil infertility. Since constraints to household food security
vary greatly along the urban-rural continuum, interventions to improve food security should adequately address these
variations.