Abstract:
This paper is part of a series of working papers making use of a qualitative, life history
dataset developed by the CPRC in Tanzania. It investigates the experience of hunger, its
causes and consequences, the strategies people use to prevent it, and derives a set of policy
implications. The most food insecure people depend on wage labour, so controlling food
price inflation and improving wages and working conditions for poor casual labourers would
be one priority. Buffers against hunger can easily erode for vulnerable older people,
separated, divorced or widowed women, and such people need to be protected against the
possible loss of their assets or access to resources. Knowledge is also a powerful tool
against hunger – people at local level could use more and better information about nutrition,
suggesting that a revival of the once successful community nutrition programme would help.
