article · Agriculture & Food Security
In sub-Saharan Africa, food costs make up between 65 and 70 percent of total household spending. Analysis of nationally representative data from the 2017/18 Tanzanian household budget survey reveals that average monthly household food expenditure stands at approximately 159,072 Tanzanian shillings, or roughly 69 US dollars. Spending on food exhibits an income elasticity of 0.72 percent and follows a non-linear relationship with the age of the household head. Furthermore, expenditure rises alongside household size, asset ownership, educational attainment, group membership, marital status, and the sex of the household head. Conversely, living in rural areas is negatively associated with food spending. Improving household food security and encouraging dietary diversity relies on targeted efforts that raise incomes, support family planning, advance gender equity, improve access to education, and build social cohesion.
Food consumes the majority of household income in developing regions, making spending patterns a direct indicator of welfare. Understanding which demographic and economic factors influence food purchases allows policymakers, civil society organisations, and development agencies to design interventions that effectively improve dietary diversity, address poverty, and strengthen food security for vulnerable rural populations.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercial application or technology. Instead, the econometric findings provide early-stage analytical evidence that could be used by microfinance institutions, social enterprises, and development organisations to tailor financial products, agricultural inputs, or community programmes to household spending capacities, particularly across rural and urban divides.
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Abstract Background Food expenditure in developing countries particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa constitutes about 65–70% of total household expenditure. Existing literature on the determinants of household food expenditure in developing countries have mixed results. Thus, this study aimed at examining the determinants of household food expenditure in Tanzania and their implications on food security using country representative data from the 2017/18 household budget survey. The Two-Stage least squares (2SLS) regression analysis was used as method of analysis. Results Results show that, on average, monthly household food expenditure in Tanzania is about TZS 159,072.80(≈ US $ 69.2). Food expenditure exhibited a non-linear relationship with age of household head with income elasticity of 0.72%. Expenditure also increases with household size, household head sex, education, asset ownership, group membership and marital status while being located in rural areas is negatively associated with food expenditure. Conclusions To increase household’s food expenditure with dietary diversity for improved health, strategies aiming at improving household income, family planning, gender equity, education and social cohesion are important which will further increase household’s food security.
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DOI: 10.1186/s40066-023-00462-0
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