The impact of livestock and gender on household expenditure patterns in the Copperbelt province of Zambia

Livestock have long been considered an important asset, especially for poor people in developing countries. Many researchers have suggested that livestock can provide a means for development and growth and can be an effective pathway out of poverty for millions of people. Despite the recognized importance of livestock, there remains a dearth of studies that have used household data to test the impact of this asset. Using a panel data set from the Copperbelt Rural Livelihood Enhancement Support Project (CRLESP), this study examines the impact of livestock on household expenditures. Specifically, the study compares the changes in food budget shares for households that have income from livestock and households that did not have livestock income during the study period. Furthermore, the study examines whether the impact of livestock as an asset is different when women control the asset. Unique features of the data and the setting avert concerns of endogeneity that affect studies of this type. The thesis first uses non-parametric local polynomial smoothing estimation to create Engel curves for households exogenously treated with livestock ownership and control households. Next, budget share regressions are run using Seemingly Unrelated Regressions (SUR). A relationship appears to exist between food shares and the sex of the household head, but tends to vary with changes in the specification of the econometric model. The results indicate that households receiving livestock income are more likely to spend their additional income on food, compared to other sources of income. Thus, livestock development might be a particularly effective mechanism for addressing some forms of food insecurity.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agricultural & Applied Econ

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Takawira, Caroline

Contributors dc:contributor

• Winter-Nelson, Alex E.

• Expenditure patterns
• Zambia
• Livestock
• Gender

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2013 Caroline Takawira

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45579

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/45579