Escaping poverty and becoming poor in 36 villages of Central and Western Uganda

Abstract

Twenty-four per cent of households in 36 village communities of Central and Western Uganda have escaped from poverty over the past 25 years, but another 15 per cent have simultaneously fallen into poverty. A roughly equal number of households escaped from poverty in the first period (ten to 25 years ago) as in the second period (the last ten years) examined here. However, almost twice as many households fell into poverty during the second period as in the first period. Progress in poverty reduction has slowed down as a result. Multiple causes are associated with descent into poverty and these causes vary significantly between villages in the two different regions. For nearly two-thirds of all households in both regions, however, ill health and health-related costs were a principal reason for descent into poverty. Escaping poverty is also associated with diverse causes, which vary across the two regions. Compared to increases in urban employment, however, land-related reasons have been more important for escaping poverty in both regions.

Identifying drivers of household coping strategies to multiple climatic hazards in Western Uganda: implications for adapting to future climate change

“…Adaptation (and coping) strategies do not automatically reduce household poverty, just like poverty reduction activities do not automatically improve capacity to respond to climatic stresses (Eriksen and O'Brien 2007). There are complex dynamics that exist in determining levels of poverty (see for example Okwi et al 2007;Krishna et al 2006). The literature provides valuable arguments concerning the need to consider both the direct impact of other stressors, and how coping with one stress can indirectly shape (2005) found, households prone to drought may relocate closer to water sources to cope with reduced water availability, yet in doing so increase their exposure and vulnerability to unexpected short term shocks such as flooding.…”

Is rainfed agriculture really a pathway from poverty?

“…In Kenya, for example, a national survey revealed that of the sampled households that moved out of poverty between 1990 and 2005, half attributed their success to investment in agriculture (Kristjanson et al 2010). Similarly, 70 % of households that moved out of poverty in Uganda between 1980 and 2004 stated that the main driver of ascent was agriculture (Krishna et al 2006). This may seem to contradict our earlier results showing that income from new technology was not enough to lift a 2 ha farm above the poverty line.…”

Horizontal Inequalities: Explaining Persistence and Change

“…poor over the whole period (Krishna, 2005). A study of developed countries found that 'In most European countries, the combination of modest inequality and extensive mobility among the poor enabled virtually all families to avoid relative deprivation at least occasionally' (Duncan, 1993, p.255).…”