1. The sample
included data on a total of 1625 households, 73.5 percent of which
were headed by a male and 26.5 percent by a female. Communal settlements
had the highest percentage of female-headed households at 30%.
2. Household
sizes are quite large and ranged from 1 to 23 individuals and
the average size is 6.7 members. Over 10% of households have 10
or more members. Female-headed households average 6.2 members,
significantly smaller than the 6.9 member average of male-headed
households.
3. Rural households
have low asset value. In this survey, about 80% of households
were classified as asset poor or very poor. Households with limited
assets are vulnerable, not only because of their relative poverty,
but also because they have few items to divest should they be
forced to spend money on food or emergencies.
4. In each
district surveyed, the proportion of households that are asset
very poor is over 40 %. Chiramunzu has the highest percentage
in this category, followed closely by Bullimangwe and Gwanda.
5. Almost
half of female headed households were classified as asset very
poor, compared to less than a third of male headed households.
Of those female-headed households that are asset very poor or
asset poor, a significant percentage (20% and
11%, respectively) are divorced or separated. In contrast, no
asset intermediate or asset rich female-headed households are
divorced or separated.
6. Slightly
over 35% of households are hosting on average just over two orphans.
Over 90% of orphans are not children of the household where they
live. Femaleheaded households host an average of 2.5 orphans compared
to 1.9 hosted by maleheaded households.
7. Over 27%
of households have at least one chronically ill member. The highest
incidence of chronic illness is in old resettled. In natural region
1, one-third of households have at least one chronically ill member,
which is significantly higher than all other regions.
8. In C-SAFE
operational areas, the percentage of vulnerable households is
very high. Just over 60% of households surveyed are in at least
one vulnerability category.
9. Out of
over 3,000 school-aged children, 81% are currently attending primary
school. However, in one-third of households with school-age children,
at least one age-eligible child is not attending school. A slightly
higher percentage of age-eligible children are attending school
in male-headed households as opposed to female-headed households
(82% and 78%, respectively). School attendance varies considerably
by district with Gutu, Beitbridge and Chiramunzu having the highest
enrollment percentages and Kadoma, Gwanda and Chegutu having the
lowest
10. Just over
14% of households with age-eligible children report at least one
child dropping out within the previous year. School-aged children
living in households with chronically ill dropped out at a significantly
higher rate than households without chronically ill. When households
were asked why age-eligible children had dropped out of school,
the majority cited the costs of education.
11. The estimated
value of standard assets owned by a household averages 194,000
Zim dollars (approximately US$139). The value of assets in male-headed
households averages 40% higher than female-headed households.
Asset values are significantly lower in newly resettled areas
as opposed to communal and old resettled areas.
12. The majority
of households that were included in the study are engaged in agricultural
activities. Only 6% of households did not cultivate crops in the
season immediately preceding the survey. Almost 40% of all households
cultivated less land than in the previous season. The most common
reason for leaving some land fallow was a response to the drought
conditions prevailing in the region. Nearly 3 out of 5 farm households
altered their cropping behavior due to the drought.
13. Relatively
few households were engaged in selling crops during the current
growing season. This is likely due to the low production gained
from the crop along with the need to satisfy food requirements.
The most commonly sold food crop was sorghum, perhaps partly for
beer brewing. Only 12% of all farm households surveyed were engaged
in cash crop production, with groundnuts and cotton being the
two most prevalent.
14. Just over
18% of households engaged in on-farm labour to access cereals,
with an average payment of 80 kilograms. Almost one-quarter of
asset very poor households gain cereals by providing on-farm casual
labour, significantly more than other asset categories. Off-farm
labour was found in only 6% of all households, with about the
same average payment as on-farm labour. Gifts or remittances were
the most important alternative source of cereals, and were found
in almost one-quarter of all households. The average gift or remittance
was 83 kilograms.
15. Almost
68% of households surveyed received an average of 173 kgs of general
food aid during the last twelve months. Nearly 80% of female-headed
households received food aid as opposed to 64% of male-headed
households. General food aid was received by nine out of every
ten households living in communal areas. In contrast, less than
one of every ten households living in newly resettled areas received
food aid and only 3 out of every ten living on old resettled lands
received general food aid.
16. Over 45%
of households gained an average of over 2,600 Zim dollars in income
from participation in government food-for-work programs.
17. Male-headed
households spend slightly more on food than female-headed households,
but less on non-staple foods. They spend slightly more on agricultural
inputs and less on household goods. Households with chronically
ill members spend significantly more on health care than the general
population, but spend slightly less on education, household goods
and agricultural inputs. Households hosting orphans spend significantly
more on education an less on staple foods and household goods.
18. Agricultural
input access varies from district to district. Cereal seed has
the largest variance among the nine districts, with over 90% of
households in Gutu reporting insufficient access. In Gweru, Kadoma
and Bubi over 80% of households report insufficient access. Gwanda
had the best access to cereal seed, with one-third of households
reporting insufficient access. Access to cereal seed in no way
ensures access to cash crop seed. Districts such as Kadoma appear
to have poor access to cereal seed but not to cash crop seed.
19. Improved
cropping practices included agro-forestry, lime application, drip
irrigation, water harvesting, improved food storage, winter plowing,
conservation tillage, urea treatment of stover, incorporation
of legumes, and fodder production and storage. Less than 25% of
those surveyed employed used any one of these techniques during
the last growing season. Of those used, conservation tillage and
improved food storage were the most common.
20. Over half
of households report borrowing food, borrowing money to buy food,
or buying food on credit during the last 30 days. Almost two-thirds
relied on less preferred food (food other than maize) more than
1-2 times per week. Over threequarters of households are reducing
the number of meals they eat at least once per week, with almost
half reducing the number of meals they eat every day. A large
percent of households skip entire days of eating at least 1-2
times per week.
21. Households
regularly reduce the amount of food for adults so that children
can eat normally, but few feed working members in preference to
nonworking members. Harvesting and eating all of the available
green maize is not strongly practiced and only 10% of households
eat green maize one or more times per week.
22. Communal
households have the lowest coping strategy index and households
on old resettled lands had the highest. The higher the coping
strategy index, the more food insecure the household. Households
with chronically ill members and households hosting orphans had
almost identical indices. Asset very poor households and asset
poor households had significantly higher indices than asset intermediate
and asset rich households.
23. Over half
of all households reported a member sick within the last two weeks.
Of those that were ill, formal healthcare was sought in the majority
of cases. For those not seeking formal healthcare, the most cited
reason was they had no way to pay for treatment.
24. Almost
11% of households had one or more adults die in the last year
after being sick for at least three months.
