The government of Tanzania is appealing for 100,000 tons of food aid.
Officials in the east African country say 3.7 million people are at risk of food shortages because of extended drought.
Prime Minister Edward Lowassa told a donor meeting on Monday that the food shortage is "acute and widespread."
The request comes as the United Nations reports that some 3,500 Burundians have entered Tanzania to escape a food shortage in their own country.
The drought afflicting east Africa and the Horn of Africa has caused widespread hunger in several countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
On Tuesday, the World Meteorological Organization said the drought is likely to persist through early April.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
