“The sustainable development strategies of the Tanzanian government’s National Development Vision 2025 emphasize agriculture and food security as the keys to poverty alleviation. Maize is the country’s most important staple, followed by sorghum, rice, beans, and cassava. Per capita income has increased since 1994, and the share of GDP contributed by agriculture has decreased slightly. In 2007, 70 percent of the population was engaged in agriculture, a sharp drop from almost 90 percent in 2006. More than 70 percent of adults are literate. The malnutrition rate for children under five years was about 15 percent in 2010. Both the mortality rate for children under five years and life expectancy at birth improved significantly between 1960 and 2010. However, climate change holds the potential to threaten these gains. Warmer temperatures and high levels of rainfall have been linked to the rising incidence of malaria and cholera. In primarily rural areas where residents are dependent on agriculture, poverty rates are as high as 95 percent, implying high levels of vulnerability.”
