{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T15:18:49Z","timestamp":1787843929337,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":88,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787788800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Tanzania faces a complex nutrition and public health challenge characterized by persistent undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and an increasing burden of diet-related non-communicable diseases. At the same time, traditional farming systems that historically supplied diverse, nutrient-dense foods are being weakened by urbanization, climate variability, market pressures, and dietary transitions. This narrative review examines farming as food as medicine in Tanzania by synthesizing literature on indigenous crops, agroecology, agrobiodiversity, dietary diversity, public health nutrition, and sustainable food systems. The review highlights how traditional crops such as lablab, cowpea, sorghum, millet, cassava leaves, and indigenous vegetables contribute to dietary quality, preventive health, climate resilience, and cultural continuity. It further discusses the roles of social determinants, gender, public health professionals, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and policy integration in strengthening food-based health strategies. The review argues that smallholder farming systems should be understood not only as sources of food and income, but also as preventive public health infrastructure. Revitalizing traditional food systems and agroecological farming can contribute to improved nutrition, reduced disease risk, environmental sustainability, and more resilient livelihoods in Tanzania.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1905908","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T14:33:13Z","timestamp":1787841193000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Farming as food as medicine in Tanzania: reviving traditional knowledge for health, nutrition, and sustainability"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Leonard R.","family":"Ndibalema","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Agricultural Sciences, College of Agriculture, Mwalimu Nyerere University of Agriculture and Technology","place":["Musoma, Tanzania"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joseph","family":"Kalonga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Department of Crop Science and Beekeeping Technology, University of Dar es Salaam","place":["Dar es Salaam, Tanzania"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and malaria indicator Survey 2015\u20132016","year":"2016"},{"key":"ref2","volume-title":"World Development Indicators","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref3","volume-title":"Noncommunicable Diseases Country Profiles 2022","year":"2022"},{"key":"ref4","volume-title":"The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref5","volume-title":"The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"243","DOI":"10.1038\/s43016-020-0077-y","article-title":"The food systems dashboard is a new tool to inform better food policy","volume":"1","author":"Fanzo","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat Food"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1498402","DOI":"10.3389\/fsufs.2024.1498402","article-title":"Underutilized crops for diverse, resilient and healthy Agri-food systems in sub-Saharan Africa","volume":"12","author":"Ndlovu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Sustain Food Syst."},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3493","DOI":"10.3390\/su12083493","article-title":"A review of indigenous food crops in Africa and their implications for more sustainable and healthy food systems","volume":"12","author":"Akinola","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"ref9","volume-title":"The state of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture","year":"2018"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"533","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodpol.2006.04.006","article-title":"Linking biodiversity, diet and health in policy and practice","volume":"31","author":"Johns","year":"2006","journal-title":"Food Policy"},{"key":"ref11","volume-title":"Sustainable Healthy Diets: Guiding Principles","year":"2019"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3389\/fsufs.2024.1389730","article-title":"Climate change, agriculture, food security and nutrition in Africa: a review","author":"Mehra","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Sustain Food Syst."},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1079\/cabireviews.2024.0022","article-title":"The role of indigenous and traditional foods in achieving food and nutrition security in Africa","volume":"19","author":"Owusu-Kwarteng","year":"2024","journal-title":"CABI Rev"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(18)31788-4","article-title":"Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT\u2013lancet commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems","volume":"393","author":"Willett","year":"2019","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref15","volume-title":"The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref16","volume-title":"Nutrition and Food Systems","year":"2017"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e958","DOI":"10.1016\/S2542-5196(24)00234-1","article-title":"Transforming food systems through agroecology","volume":"8","author":"Ceddia","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lancet Planet Health"},{"key":"ref18","volume-title":"Updated National Pathway and Costed Action Plan for Food Systems Transformation","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref19","volume-title":"2024 Global Nutrition Report: Actions to End Malnutrition","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref20","volume-title":"Who's Tipping the scales? 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