Refugees’ Food Security Perceptions on Reduced Food Rations in Refugees Camp in Western Tanzania

The objective of this study was to assess refugees’ food security perceptions on reduced food rations in Nyarugusu refugee camp Western Tanzania. The study had five research objectives based on food availability, accessibility, utilization, forms of refugees’ food assistance and factors, effects with its coping strategies on refugees’ food ration which were formulated so as to answer the general problem of the research study, which clearly elaborated in the statement of the problem. The population of the study consisted of refugees of Nyarugusu camp in Kasulu-Kigoma Western Tanzania. The researcher used sampling techniques to draw a sample size of 395 households’who involved as respondents in the study areas. Data were collected from the respondents through structural interview as the methods for data collection through use ofquestionnaires as tool.The computer program SPSS (Statistical Product and Service Solution) used to analyse collected data by using descriptive statistics analysis which includes frequencies and percentages. Study findings have revealed that in Nyarugusu refugee camp, there are challenges of food availability, accessibility and food utilization for refugees’ food security. The common form of food ration was in-kind food rations while the refugee’s mostlypreferred form were cash and in-kind food ration or combination (cash and in-kind food) respectively. The refugees’ perception on factor, effect and coping strategies based on reduced food ration in Nyarugusu Refugee camp western Tanzania mostly were out of their control instead they forced to face them accordingly to environment because to them are not positive but no way out. Keywords: Refugee, food security, food ration, food assistance, refugee camp