Integrated Soil Water and Nutrient Management and Dry ... - Icrisat

crops, household size, cultivators, farming experience, ploughs, draft cattle,
harrows, carts, and age of household head. We identify Factor 1 as capturing
well-resourced households with full set of farm equipment. Variables that load
very high on Factor 2 include de facto female head, radio, bicycle, cattle, draft
cattle, wheelbarrows, harrows, goats and cash in the positive direction and
farming experience, age of household head, and male head husband resident in
the negative direction. We identify Factor 2 as capturing average households,
mostly de facto female-headed households with access to salaried incomes and
remittances, cash for investing in farming and consumer durables such as radio
and bicycles. Variables that have significant loadings on Factor 3 are mostly
negatively associated with donkeys, draft donkeys, goats, male-head husband
resident, carts, cattle, ploughs, wheelbarrow, radio, sheep and draft cattle.
Therefore we interpret Factor 4 as reflecting poorly resourced mostly de jure
female-headed households.
Focus group discussions with farmers revealed that they recognize three
household typologies based on community-derived wealth criteria such as
ownership of draft animals and farm equipment, land-holding size, farming
knowledge, and access to salaried incomes and remittances. These include
wealthy, average and poor households. Wealthy households have adequate
draft animals to inspan and a full set of equipment, including ploughs, harrows,
cultivators, and carts. They are generally male-headed households with a
resident husband and have access to pension, business income, or salaried
employment in the rural area. They have grown-up children whose education
is complete, and who are assisting them. They do not have major expenses
such as school fees and health costs. Some can afford to hire local casual
laborers and full-time workers to help with farming tasks. Average households
have inadequate animals and equipment for inspanning. They share draft
animals and implements and combine with others. They are mostly femaleheaded
households with husbands away or male-headed households with
retired or elderly household heads. Poor households have access to land but do
not have draft animals and farm implements. They have to hire draft power
from other farmers. They often sell labor for weeding and harvesting and
herding cattle; collect insects and natural resource products and sell them and
ask for help. Some poor households brew beer, breed poultry, make clay pots
to sell, and exchange human labor for animal draft services. These are usually
female-headed households.
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