Women And Household Food Security: A Case Study Of Songea Rural District In Ruvuma Region, Tanzania

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Declaration

Approval

Dedication iii

Acknowledgement iv

Table of Contents v

List of Figures ix

List of Tables

List of Acronyms

Abstract

CHAPTER ONE i

INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background to the Study 1

1.1.1 The concept of food security 2

1.1.2 Food Security in Tanzania 3

1.1.3 Women as food producers 4

1.2 Statement of problem 6

1.3 Objectives 7

1.3.1 Main objective 7

1.3.2 Specific objectives 7

1.4 Research questions 7

1.5 Significance of study 7

1.6 Scope and Delimitation of study 8

1.7 Operational Definition of terms 8

1.8 Organizations of the Study 9

CHAPTER TWO ,,..,.,,.,..,,,,,..., ,,,...,,, ...

LITERATURE REVIEW .

2.1 Introduction 10

2.2 Global Situation of the Food Security 10

v

2.3 Food Security Situation in Africa and Sub-Sahara Africa .11

2.4 Situation of Food Security in Tanzania 13

2.5 Food access 15

2.6 Food consumption 15

2.7 Income Generating Activities of Women 16

2.7.1 Fish Production 16

2.7.2 The processing and selling of”Pombe” 16

2.7.3 The Processing and Selling Of”Maandazi” (Fried Wheat Buns) 17

2.7.4 The Processing and Selling of”Ulanzi” (bamboo wine) 17

2.7.5 Handicrafts 17

2.8 Technologies Adopted by Women to Promote Food Security 17

2.8.1 Agriculture 17

2.8.2 Soil conservation 18

2.8.3 Household Energy 18

2.8.4 Marketing 19

ChAPTER THREE 20

METHODOLOGY 20

3.1 Introduction 20

3.2 Area of study 20

3.2.1 Location and size 20

3.2.2 Soils 20

3.2.3 Hydrology 20

3.2.4 Climate 21

3.2.5 Demographic characteristics 21

3.2.6 Administrative structure 22

3.3 Socio-economic activities 22

3.3.1 Agriculture 22

3.3.2 Transportation 23

3.3.3 Aquaculture 23

3.4 Research design 23

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3.5

ABSTRACT Food security refers to the availability of food supply to the entire society at all times. It

involves a cycle of land preparation, tilling, planting, weeding, harvesting, transporting

crops from farm to house, storing, processing, marketing, preparation, and serving food

in hygienic manner. The main purpose of this study was to find out the role played by

women in promoting household food security in Songea Rural District in Ruvuma region,

Tanzania. A total number of 240 respondents were randomly and purposively sampled.

Data were collected using questionnaires, observation, interview and literature review.

The data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS

Ver. 11.5) and presented in frequencies and percentages in various graphs. The study

meant to cover the activities done by women to promote household food security; the

impacts of technologies adopted by women on food in promoting household food

security; as well as the constraints faced by women in the promotion of household food

security. The study found out that, women also do non-farm activities to earn income to

support household needs particularly food stuffs. Income activities include pottery,

handcraft, and animal rearing among others, the income earned is having a substantial

positive effect on the improvement and the sustainability of the household food security.

Women have adopted some technologies such as shelling, winnowing, peeling, slicing,

Sundrying, pickling, fermentation, juice extraction, salting and smoking which have

enabled them to improve their roles as household heads and managers. The study

indicated that the adoption of technologies have helped women to ensure food availability

in their households. Hence, the study findings have confirmed that the women’ rate of

adoption of technologies was high and thus they have enabled women to improve on their

roles as household heads and managers. However, the women in the study area were

having a number of challenges which reduce their efficiency; the mentioned challenges

were problems of land and property ownership, access to credit and marketing facilities

and access to information. These challenges were accelerated by social and economical

factors. The study recommended putting in place considerations in improving women’

decision making authority, increasing access and control over land and inputs, improving

access to credits and finance, increasing access to information to increase women’ control over organization of production.