Development Studies

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Poverty in Tanzania: A study of Singida, Bagamoyo and Mwanga districts
(Mzumbe University and Agder University College, 2001) Chamwali Anthony Alifa
The study was conducted between October 25, 1996 and January 26, 1997. The main objective was to assess household poverty levels in six villages from three districts in Tanzania. Fifty households (25 of them female-headed) were randomly selected from each village, and data on household’s social and economic status, household expenditures, rural-urban links, infrastructure and availability of social services, shelter quality and adequacy, and community participation were collected. The total sample size was 3000. The households were ranked according to annual expenditure per adult-equivalent. Using a poverty line of an expenditure of TShs. 132.983 an adult-equivalent a year, 33. 2% of the households were below the poverty line. Gender-wise, 24.7% of the male-headed, and 40% of the female-headed households were below the poverty line. Statistically, there was no significant difference in the proportion of poor households between female- and male-headed households. Education, especially of the household head, was one of the major determinants of household poverty. It is recommended households should make efforts to acquire some education.