Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 3.1 Perception of poverty
Farmer Sex Rich Medium Poor
Very poor Why?
1
M
X
I don't have land
2
F
X
I can access food, we have land
3
M
X
I have land, but I don't have enough
4
F
X
I can access land and food
5
F
X
I have other incomes
6
M
X
I have access to basic services
assessment include their access to land, crops and animals, all of which give
food security to the family and strengthen self-esteem. On the other hand,
feelings of being vulnerable and poor were expressed in the case where the
participant did not have access to land.
Financial capital
Financial assets are the most significant limiting asset of poor people.
Financial assets are also one of the most important as they can be used to
leverage other types of capital. To speak about income and expenditures with
the urban farmers was quite a delicate subject because they are not open
about this issue; however, in the study we made an approximation of these
financial components. This study identified that 51 per cent of the population
in Carapongo only receive income derived from agriculture. For the analysis
of the income variable, an approximation of the availability of cash to meet
monthly expenditures is shown. In this study, 28 per cent declared that their
families have less than US$150 available for their monthly expenditures; 41
per cent had more than US$150 but less than US$300; and 31 per cent had
equal to or more than US$300 a month. Twenty-eight per cent of families
with an average family size of five persons who live on US$150 a month - less
than US$1 per person/day - indicates extreme poverty (Table 3.2).
Another important financial indicator is the proportion of total
expenditures that are made on food. For 64 per cent of urban producer families
in Carapongo, food expenditures comprise more than 50 per cent of their total
expenditures. For the remaining 40 per cent of the families, food expenditures
represent more than 70 per cent of their total household expenditures.
Table 3.2 Income range and per capita income
Income range
N
(%)
Per capita income
N
(%)
<US$150
34
28
<US$1 per day
32
26
<US$300
50
41
<US$2 per day
51
42
US$300
38
31
>US$2 per day
39
32
Total
122
100
Total
122
100
