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Tanzania

World bank, 2018
Poverty headcount ratio at $3.65 a day (2017 PPP) (% of population)
74%
Population below international poverty line

Equivalent to 140,000 Tanzanian shillings per worker per month.
WageIndicator Foundation, 2023

57
per month
Agriculture minimum wage

Equivalent to 342,926 Tanzanian shillings per worker per month.
Global Living Wage Coalition, 2023

139
per month
Rural living wage

Equivalent to 462,868 Tanzanian shillings per worker per month.
Global Living Wage Coalition, 2023

189
per month
Urban living wage

Equivalent to 513,261 Tanzanian shilling for a typical family in rural Tanzania per month.
Global Living Wage Coalition, 2023

210
per month
Rural living income
World bank, 2021
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
64%
Agricultural workforce
World bank, 2022
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP)
24%
Agriculture share of GDP

ITUC Global Rights Index, 2023
Systematic violations of rights

4
high
Risk to workers' rights

Context

Tanzania has a population 65 million people,[1] with 66%[2] of citizens living in rural areas. The agricultural sector employs about two thirds of all the workers in Tanzania.[3] A sector that accounts for 24%[4] of the nation’s GDP.

Smallholder family farms represent 83% of all agricultural holdings in Tanzania and contribute to 75% of the nation’s agricultural output. The average plot size for smallholders in Tanzania is 1.2 hectares and typically consists of crop production. Livestock and poultry production are a very important second source of income for smallholder family farms. Additionally, many smallholder farmers supplement their incomes with off-farm employment, which typically accounts for an average of a third of the annual household income. Nonetheless, roughly 39% of smallholders in Tanzania live below the national poverty line.[5]

The top crops grown by farmers in Tanzania are maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, sugar cane and cattle milk.[6] Tanzania’s top export commodities in terms of value are rice, maize, pidgeon peas, wheat bran and cashew nuts.[7]

Footnotes
  1. ^ World Bank. (2022). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=TZ
  2. ^ World Bank. (2019). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS?locations=TZ
  3. ^ World Bank. (2020). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?locations=TZ
  4. ^ World Bank. (2017). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS?locations=TZ
  5. ^ FAO. (2018). http://www.fao.org/3/i8356en/I8356EN.pdf
  6. ^ FAO. (2021). http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/commodities_by_country
  7. ^ FAOSTAT. (2021). http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#rankings/commodities_by_country_exports

Wages

Minimum wage

The minimum wage in Tanzania varies by employment sector and sets a minimum wage of 140,000 Tanzanian shilling (57 EUR) per month for agricultural services.[1] Although the various minimum wages are above the national poverty line, they are below the World Bank standards for extreme poverty. In addition, many employees do not have formal contracts and therefore lack legal protections.[2]

 

The Global Living Wage Coalition has developed 3 reference value studies for rural Tanzania, one for living wage and one for living income, based on the Anker methodology.

Living wage

The Anker Living Wage Reference Value for rural Tanzania is estimated at 342,926 Tanzanian shillings (139 EUR) per month. This is the wage required for workers in a typical rural area of Tanzania to afford a basic but decent standard of living in 2023.[3]

As for the Living Wage Reference Value for urban Tanzania, this is estimated at 462,868 Tanzanian shilings (189 EUR) per month, 4.4 times the agricultural mimimum wage in Tanzania in 2022.[4]

Living income

The Anker Living Income Reference Value for 2022 for rural Tanzania is estimated at 495,629 Tanzanian shilling (214 EUR) per month. This is the living income estimate for a typical family in rural Tanzania to cover the monthly cost of a basic but decent standard of living. [5]

Footnotes
  1. ^ WageIndicator Foundation (2023). https://wageindicator.org/salary/minimum-wage/tanzania
  2. ^ U.S. Department of State. https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/tanzania/
  3. ^ Global Living Wage Coalition (2023) Living Wage Reference Value: Rural Tanzania. https://www.globallivingwage.org/reference-value/living-wage-reference-value-rural-tanzania/
  4. ^ Global Living Wage Coalition (2023). Living Wage Reference Value: Urban Tanzania. https://www.globallivingwage.org/reference-value/living-wage-reference-value-urban-tanzania/
  5. ^ Global Living Wage Coalition (2023). Living Income Reference Value: Rural Tanzania. https://www.globallivingwage.org/reference-value/living-income-reference-value-rural-tanzania/

What's happening

initiative

Johnny Cashew

Dutch company Johnny Cashew works withMama Cashew and Fairtrade in Tanzania to offer 600 Tanzanian women a job, with good working conditions such as health insurance, lunch and fair pay.

initiative

Fairtrade living Income Reference Price for cashew

A Fairtrade LIRP indicates the price needed for an average farmer household with a viable farm size and an adequate productivity level to make a living income from the sales of their crop. This study was done in cooperation with Johnny Cashew and Lidl Nederland in 2022. 

resource

Living Wage Reference Value, Rural Tanzania

Living wage estimate for workers to be able to afford a basic but decent standard of living in a typical rural area of Tanzania. Global Living Wage Coalition, 2022.

resource

Living Income Reference Value, Rural Tanzania

Living income estimate, or estimated monthly cost of a basic but decent standard of living, for a typical family in rural Tanzania. Global Living Wage Coalition, 2022.

resource

Living Wage Reference Value, Urban Tanzania

Living wage estimate for workers to be able to afford a basic but decent standard of living in a typical urban area of Tanzania. Global Living Wage Coalition, 2022.

initiative

Assessing coffee household income

Assessment of household income of coffee farmers in seven origins to improve strategy, policy and Fairtrade's Minimum Price.

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