In 2024, Tanzania’s food security situation was significantly impacted by climate-related shocks, particularly prolonged droughts and severe flooding linked the El Niño phenomenon.

According to the 2024 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report, approximately 900,000 people (13 per cent of the analysed population) faced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above). Flooding displaced over 200,000 people and caused the loss of 240,709 metric tons of crops, causing a major impact on the 59 per cent of Tanzania’s population that work in agriculture. While Tanzania has seen improvements in child nutrition over the past three decades, with stunting rates dropping from 50 per cent in 1991/92 to 30 per cent in 2022, regional disparities persist, posing ongoing public health concerns.

Action Against Hunger focused its efforts in the Singida and Dodoma regions, tackling the root causes of malnutrition through integrated, gender-responsive Health and Nutrition interventions. We supported 15 wards and 18 secondary schools, strengthened 31 health facilities to provide quality services, and prioritised care for the most vulnerable populations with focus on women, adolescents, and children under five.

Key initiatives included the Accelerating Wasting Reform project funded by the Eleanor Crook Foundation, where we collaborated with the Ministry of Health to revise the National Guideline for the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition, updating the guideline to align with the latest 2023 World Health Organization recommendations and reviewing national malnutrition policy. Through the Equip for In-School Nutrition Services project, we trained over 1,600 students and 36 community agriculture promoters on climate-smart agricultural practices and supported the production of biofortified crops such as sweet potatoes, maize, beans, and sorghum, as well as post-harvest handling skills.

Under the Gender Equitable Nutrition project, we built the capacity of 34 health providers to deliver integrated malnutrition management and 31 health providers on adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health services in the Bahi and Itigi districts. We also promoted the use of micronutrient powders for children aged between 6 and 24 months, strengthened Village Health and Nutrition Days to improve early detection of wasting, and supported Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and nutrition-sensitive agriculture activities across communities and schools.