Dar has highest number of hungry people in EA

Tanzania is leading other East African countries in the number of hungry people as it emerges that the region’s food production has not kept pace with its rapidly rising population.

According to a new report, Tanzania recorded a 73 per cent rise in the number of hungry people and accounted for 42 per cent of hungry East Africans, up from 34 per cent 10 years ago. Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda all reduced their share of hungry people over that period of time.

However, the report does not explain why there are more hungry people in Tanzania than any other East African country.

The report also reveals that Tanzania is the most deforested country in the region.

Titled, Nature Under Pressure: The State of East Africa Report 2008, the report, a snapshot look at the status of the region’s water, food production and energy resources, says that the number of undernourished East Africans increased by 8.8 million between 1993 and 2003.

The report, which was launched in Nairobi last week by the Society for International Development, drives home the message that the combination of a rapid increase in the number of people in East Africa with the many efforts geared towards alleviating poverty is exerting considerable pressure on the region’s environment.

One of the consequences of that trend, the report shows, is that food production now seems to be falling behind the pace of population growth.

Currently, the region is home to more than 125 million people.

This number has doubled since 1980 and is expected to reach 190 million by 2030.

What is clear from the report is that increase in population coupled with increased human activity has impacted negatively on the environment.

For example, it is estimated that population growth alone is likely to increase the share of water-stressed populations (those facing water shortage) to 50 per cent in Tanzania and 40 per cent in Kenya by 2050.

It is also predicted that rainfall, the largest source of renewable water will, as a result of climate change become more erratic, forcing 72 per cent of Tanzanians and 56 per cent of Kenyans to live under conditions of water stress by 2050.

Kenya and Rwanda have the least amount of renewable water per person (2,300-2,500 cubic metres). Whereas Kenya’s low renewable water level is due to low rainfall levels, Rwanda’s is attributed to its high population density vis-a-vis its small size.

Citizens of both countries, the report warns, are close to experiencing water stress (defined as having access to under 1,700 cubic metres per person per year).

According to the report, the increasing water scarcity is partly attributable to the massive deforestation in East Africa. It reveals that 26.2 million hectares of trees have been cut down in the 15 years between 1990 and 2005. This is an area the size of Rwanda.