We use recent panel data on Tanzanian farm households to investigate how previous
exposure to weather shocks a?ects the impact of a current shock. Specifically, we investigate
the impact of droughts on agricultural outcomes and investments in children’s
health, measured by their short- and long-term nutritional status. As expected, we find
that droughts negatively impact yields, with the impact increasing in the severity of the
shock, and that severe droughts have a negative impact on short-term nutritional outcomes
of children. We also find suggestive evidence that the more shocks a household
has experienced in the past, the less crop yields are a?ected by a current shock. This
suggests that households are able to learn from their past shock experience, and could
imply that households are able to adapt to climate risk. Our results also suggest that the
impact of a shock depends on when the household last experienced a shock. In terms of
child health, we are not able to detect any clear e?ect of previous shock exposure on the
impact of a current shock, nor do we find any impact on long run nutritional outcomes.