Poverty and Human Development Report 2009 - UNDP in Tanzania

pOVertY aND hUMaN DeVeLOpMeNt repOrt 2009
increased in nominal terms to tshs 1,400 by 2007, but declined in real terms to tshs 740.
such negative returns make saving unattractive. in addition, the fraction of income generated
from interest, dividend and rent received did not increase between 2000/1 and 2007 (table 43).
evidence therefore, indicates no little change in households’ formal systems of savings.
Table 43: Percent of Household Income by Source
164
2000/01 2007
employment income
(cash, in kind, self-employment, agriculture)
85% 83%
interest, dividends and rent received 1% 1%
transfers and other receipts 15% 16%
source: hBs 2007
previous sections demonstrated a small negative change in the ownership of productive assets
and no change in the value of consumer durables owned by households. taken in conjunction
with the data for savings, it may be concluded that the total value of assets owned by households
has not increased since 2000/01, and is more likely to have declined slightly.
Household Occupation and Place of Residence
data have been presented to show that household consumption increased very little between
2000/01 and 2007 and that changes in asset ownership were largely the result of declines in asset
prices, which would imply limited growth in household incomes. this section now examines the
incidence of poverty by occupation and place of residence.
Main Sources of Employment
Agriculture and self-employment remain the main sources of employment for adult tanzanians.
Almost 58% of all those aged 15 years and older work primarily in agriculture, while approximately
14% are self-employed (table 44). in broad terms there has been little change between 2000/01
and 2007, but closer inspection of the data reveal a shift out of agriculture as the main activity for
men (in rural areas men whose main activity was in agriculture dropped from 77% to 70%) and
into formal employment with the government and private sector or enrolment as a student. for
women, the biggest shift is the decreased proportion who report their main activity to be selfemployment
or unpaid helpers, while there were also increases in the percentages of women who
reported their main activity to be as a student and as home-makers or otherwise not engaged in
the labour force. the large increase in the percentage of males and females indicating that they
are students is remarkable. it is especially strong in urban areas other than dar es salaam, and
in rural areas, and reflects the large increases in school attendance.