Siaya – Vihiga Survey Data Collection and Analysis

Reminder:

Baselines had been collected for 120 households in 2000 (but matching in different surveys was not perfect) so about 110 were useable.

Follow up in 2002: consumption, assets, expenditure (non-food) done in April to match 2000 calendar) – 103 households are fully intact with requisite data

Follow up in September 2002 for land use and production data

Follow up in December 2002 - January 2003 for market and credit transactions

Chronic Poor

Transient: Poor to Non-poor

Transient: Non-poor to poor

Non-Poor

Energy intake 11.7 14.6 30.1 43.7

Protein intake 35.0 15.5 37.9 11.7

Non-food expenditure

43.7 14.6 19.4 22.3

Liquid assets 62.1 5.8 10.7 21.4

Comparison of Chronic Poverty Using Different Measures in Siaya-Vihiga Villages

Non-food expenditures

Protein Intake

Chronic Transient Non-poor

Chronic 17.5 12.6 4.9

Transient 23.3 18.4 11.7

Non-poor 2.9 2.9 5.8

Comparison of chronically poor under the protein intake and non-food expenditure definitions (% of households)

Asset Coverage

Protein Intake

Chronic Transient Non-poor

Chronic 22.3 4.9 7.8

Transient 34.0 9.7 9.7

Non-poor 5.8 1.9 3.9

Comparison of chronically poor under the protein intake and asset coverage definitions (% of households)

Identifying the Chronic Poor

Obviously dependent on measures and criteria

What to do when there are large trends – for instance a general worsening in poverty (and consequence rise in importance of transitory poverty)?

For qualitative sampling – best to use households that qualify under more than one definition?

The 2-year panel seems to differ with qualitative case studies that seem to imply long-term transmission and reinforcement of poverty

Characteristics of the Chronic Poor

Two factors were robust: secondary education and previous employment in formal sector

Many other factors depended on measure of poverty: gender, ethnicity, family size

Non-factors were: farm size

Agricultural Consequences of Chronic Poverty

Significant differences are noted between the chronic poor and the non-poor; but chronic and tranistory poor appear to be similar in many respects

Behaviour associated uniquely with the chronic poor:

Use of fertilizer (amounts too)

Behaviour associated with chronic and transient poor:

Use of hybrids, use of credit, cultivation of cash

crops, hiring of labour, use of animal manure

Never tried Dropped Testing Adopted

Protein measure

Chronic poor 44.4 8.3 8.3 38.9

Transient poor 49.1 16.4 3.6 30.9

Non-poor 25.0 33.3 16.7 25.0

Non-food expenditure measure

Chronic poor 44.4 20.0 2.2 33.3

Transient poor 42.9 17.1 8.6 31.4

Non-poor 47.8 4.3 13.0 34.8

Adoption of improved fallows by poverty classification