The paper analyses the impact of agricultural technologies on the four pillars of food security
for maize farmers in Tanzania. Relying on matching techniques, we use a nationally
representative dataset collected over the period 2010/2011 to estimate the causal effects of using
improved seeds and inorganic fertilizers on food availability, access, utilization, and stability.
Overall, the technologies have a positive and significant impact on food security, but substantial
differences between the pillars are observed. Improved seeds show a stronger effect on food
availability and access, while - in terms of utilization - both technologies increase the diet
diversity and only improved seeds reduce the dependence on staple food. Finally, improved
seeds reduce the household vulnerability while inorganic fertilizers guarantee higher resilience.
The study supports the idea that the relationship between agricultural technologies and food
security is a complex phenomenon, which cannot be limited to the use of welfare indexes as
proxy for food security.