Household food security is an important development issue. However, food insecurity still persists in many parts of Tanzania due to a number of factors. When people are faced with food shortage, they develop mechanisms to cope with this problem. These strategies, however, are neither effective nor sustainable. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of coping strategies towards food insecurity in Chamwino area in order to suggest possible ways that could be used to increase food production in the area as a way of reducing household food insecurity. Data was collected from 120 respondents by using questionnaires. Researcher’s diary and checklist were used to collect information from key informants. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) computer software and qualitative data were summarized and analyzed manually. Respondents were aware of the food insecurity problem and its causes. They identified some coping strategies which they considered to be effective; these included selling of livestock, selling of labour, utilization of wild foods and a reduction in the number and quantity of meals taken. However, despite the use of these coping strategies the problem of food insecurity is still persists. It is therefore recommended from this study that deliberate efforts to be taken by the government and other interested parties to promote and support off-farm income generating activities, train farmers on food processing and storage methods, empower women financially so that they can produce more food, identify wild food plants and conserve them, educate people not to sell their labour during peak farm activities and advise farmers to practice de-stocking of their animals so that they can sell them during period of good prices. Also, the growing of drought resistant crops should be encouraged.