Cost of gender gap in Tanzania

Agriculture is at the core of both the Tanzanian economy and Tanzanian society. The sector employs 67 per cent of the nation’s workers and accounts for about 23 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. Agriculture is the source of key exports such as coffee, cotton, cashew nuts and tea. To ensure the country’s continued growth and meet the challenge of reducing rural poverty, the agricultural sector can and must make a greater contribution to the nation’s economy. At present, only 27 per cent of Tanzania’s 44 million hectares of arable land is under cultivation. Irrigation is rare, so most crops depend on rainwater. Further, short-sighted land management practices undercut the fertility of some cultivated lands. As to the people who work this land, many survive on extremely limited means. Of the 12 million Tanzanians who live in poverty, 10 million are rural dwellers, individuals whose incomes are less than $1.90 a day.