The Topic You are to undertake a small investigation of some data from households in Africa, to learn something about the social and economic conditions these households face. The data set comprises the results of a household survey undertaken in 2014 of more than 1,700 poor, rural households in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. These households are all in rural villages and small farms, relying on their small piece of land for most of their food, income and daily needs.

Topic 2: The experience of food shortages

• What are the characteristics of the households in this study? What indicators are there of the level of poverty among households?

• What are the characteristics of the farms these households live on? What do they produce? How much land do they have?

• Are households experiencing food shortages? How often?

• Do households that are producing more crops experience less food shortages?

• Are wealthier households (with more land, better houses) less vulnerable to food shortages?

• What is the effect of household composition on the experience of food shortages? Does having more children mean there are more shortages? Or more elderly? Or working age population?

• What are the implications of your findings for priorities in programs to improve the food security of poor, rural households in Africa?