Abstract

Food insecurity is a major issue in Tanzania and varies across regions and seasons. This study assessed the contribution of smallholder farmer’s rural-rural migration to household food security using people’s perception. Kidea Village of Kigoma Rural District was chosen as case study to represent other villages which were established by and have been receiving smallholder farmer migrants from other hunger-stricken villages. Land ownership status, types of crops, food availability and access, post-harvest food management practices, the amount of food harvested and length of time it lasted were used as determinants of food security. Household questionnaire, focus group discussion, physical observation and key informant interviews were employed in data collection. The findings show that all respondents had security of land tenure, allowing more food production. Investment in multiple cropping helped to accommodate risks and uncertainties from unforeseen poor climatic conditions. The reported post-harvest food management practices including food donations and brewing did not contribute to food insecurity since their frequencies and amounts were occasional and small, respectively. A high proportion of respondents reporting adequate and affordable food in the village market imply that exchange between food-surplus and food-deficit households was made possible. In addition, majority of respondents reporting better production of crops at destination than in their villages of origin implies that migrant households were food secure. However, it was noted that migration to Kidea is more of subsistence than long term investment in economic development.

Keywords: Food security; Peasant migration; Livelihood diversification