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Market-Based Solutions to Improve Nutrition in Tanzania

HIGHLIGHTS

  • 42 percent of Tanzanian children under five suffer micronutrient deficiencies
  • The project broadened rural access to fortified nutritious products
  • Production of fortified maize meal increased by 166 percent

The Challenge

In Tanzania, children are especially vulnerable to malnutrition: 42 percent of the country’s children under age five suffer from stunting, anemia, and other micronutrient deficiencies. Tuboreshe Chakula (Swahili for Let’s Improve Food) was a USAID-funded, Abt Global-implemented Feed the Future project that transformed Tanzania’s agro-processing industry and increased the supply of and demand for safe, high-quality and nutritious foods, especially among vulnerable populations in the food-insecure regions of Tanzania.

The Approach

The project focused on fortification and marketing in supply chains for maize, sunflower oil, rice, and blended flour/micronutrient powder (MNP) to widen rural access to these nutritious products. The project gave direct technical assistance and business support to 733 millers and processors to implement good manufacturing practices, improve financial management and introduce new technologies. Ultimately, this translated to an increased flow of fortified products into the marketplace.
 

The Results

By the end of the project, the millers and processors had increased their monthly production of fortified maize meal by--on average--166 percent to 1,276 metric tons. Other highlights include:

  • 9,200 people trained in fortification and basic business management and administration;
  • 60 percent of project-assisted businesses are operating more profitably;
  • More than $2.9 million worth of loans for project clients were received from commercial banks, social impact funds and microfinance organizations; and
  • $1.5 million in grants awarded to flour processors with additional grants for oil processors and rice millers to purchase equipment, including equipment to aid fortification.