埼玉大学紀要（教養学部）第52巻第１号 2016年

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カンボジアのプレイベン州メイサン郡アンコール・ソーコミューン における貧困世帯の基礎調査

―世帯の情報―

A Preliminary Survey on the Poor Households in Angkor Sar Commune, Mesang District, Prey Veng Province, Cambodia: Household Information

サムレト ソワンルン

Sovannroeun Samreth*

Abstract

In recent years, although Cambodia has achieved economic growth at remarkable rates, its poverty situation, especially in rural area, is still widely observed, and poverty reduction is still a priority in the government’s policy agenda. The information on financial diaries of poor households can provide good implications for designing policy to combat poverty. Understanding this importance, a project collecting financial diary data in Cambodia was proposed. In preparation, a preliminary survey on randomly selected househoulds in a selected commune was conducted in February 2016. The survey questionnaire is divided into several main parts. This report presents the results and statistics from the household information collected in that survey, including household structures and characteristics and the migration of the household members. Keywords: Cambodia; Rural Poverty; Prey Veng JEL Classification Codes: O10; O18

＊ さむれと・そわんるん 埼玉大学大学院人文社会科学研究科准教授（E-mail : roeun99@mail.saitama-u.ac.jp）

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1. Introduction Although the status of Cambodia has shifted from low-income country to a

lower-middle-income country, its poverty situation, especially in rural areas, is still a national issue, and poverty reduction is a priority in the government’s policy agenda. Poverty reduction is focused on one of the four strategic objectives in “Rectangular Strategy” for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency, published by the Royal Government of Cambodia (2013). Table 1 illustrates the change in poverty incidence at the country, rural, and urban levels. As can be seen from the table, the poverty headcount ratio in 2012 at the country level is 17.70%, while the ratios are 20.80% and 6.40% at the rural and urban levels, respectively. Although a decrease in the rural poverty rate can be observed, it is still high.

Table 1: Poverty incidence in Cambodia Poverty incidence (at national poverty lines) 2010 2011 2012 Poverty headcount ratio (% of total population) 22.10% 20.50% 17.70% Rural poverty headcount ratio (% of rural population) 25.30% 23.60% 20.80% Urban poverty headcount ratio (% of urban population) 8.50% 8.70% 6.40% Data source: World Development Indicators, World Bank (2016)

The information from the financial diaries of the poor households can play an important

role in designing policy to combat poverty. The importance of this issue motivated the creation of various studies focusing on the financial diaries of poor househoulds. Among others, we find the case of India in Ruthven (2002), the case of Bangladesh in Rutherford (2003), the case of South Africa in Collins (2005, 2008), and the cases of these three countries in Collins et al. (2009). Aiming to contribute to the literature for the case of Cambodia, a survey project on the fiancial diaries of the poor households in Camboida is proposed. In preparation for a year-long survey on the financial diaries in the selected Angkor Sar Commune, Mesang District, Prey Veng provinces, a preliminary survey on randomely selected households was conducted in February 2016. The survey questionnaire is divided into various main parts, and this report presents the results and statistics within the household information collected, including household structures and characteristics and the migration of household members.

The remainder of this report is organized as follows. Section 2 presents the basic information and poverty situation at the district and commune levels of Prey Veng province. Section 3 explains the details on the survey in Angkor Sar commune, Mesang district, including an explanation on the procedure and the presentation of the results and statistics from

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the survey. Section 4 concludes this report. 2. Basic Information and Poverty Situation of Prey Veng Province Prey Veng is a province located 90 km southeast of the capital city, Phnom Penh. Figure 1 shows the map of Cambodia in which the location of Prey Veng province is illustrated. According to the commune database (CDB) published by the Ministry of Planning (2014) Prey Veng consists of 13 districts which are divided into 116 communes. Its population size in 2014 is 1,194,146 people, with a population density of 245 people per km2.1 Table 2 shows the population density of Prey Veng and other provinces and the capital city, Phnom Penh. From Table 2, we can see that Prey Veng is among the high-density provinces, and its main economic activities are agricultural farming, fishing, rice, and fruit cropping (Council for the Development of Cambodia, 2013).

1 The population density is calculated using the population data from Ministry of Planning (2014) and the provincial surface data obtained from Council for the Development of Cambodia (2013).

Source: Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Royal Government of Cambodia http://www.mpwt.gov.kh/map.html (Accessed on July 21, 2016)

Figure 1: Map of Cambodia

Prey Veng

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Table 2: Population density Population Density

Population Density Rank Province/Capital City (People per

km2)

Rank Province/Capital City (People per km2)

1 Phnom Penh 2,131 13 Kampong Chhnang 97 2 Kandal 380 14 Preah Sihanouk 83 3 Takeo 281 15 Pailin 62 4 Prey Veng 245 16 Kampong Thom 50 5 Svay Rieng 215 17 Otdar Meanchey 47 6 Kampot 135 18 Pursat 37 7 Kampong Speu 120 19 Kracheh 34 8 Banteay Meanchey 118 20 Ratanak Kiri 17 9 Kep 118 21 Preah Vihear 16 10 Kampong Cham 116 22 Koh Kong 13 11 Siem Reap 101 23 Stung Treng 11 12 Battambang 100 24 Mondul Kiri 5

Data source: Council for the Development of Cambodia (2013), Ministry of Planning (2014)

In 2006, in an effort to increase efficiency in reducing poverty, the Ministry of Planning,

Royal Government of Cambodia, launched the Identification of Poor Households (IDPoor) Programme. Under this program, poor households are classified into Poor Level 1 and Poor Level 2. This classification is based on a survey on the various conditions of these households, such as housing condition, productive land area, fishing equipment, and sources of income.2 Scores are given based on these criteria. Those with scores from 45 to 58 are classified as Poor Level 2. Those with scores from 59 to 68 are classified as Poor Level 1.3 The classification of the poor households is revised regularly, and the most recent classification available to us is from round 8 (2014) of the survey and revisions. Table 3 illustrates district-level poverty in Prey Veng.4 The table shows that Mesang district’s poverty rate is the second worst among the 13 districts of Prey Veng. Moreover, Table 4 indicates commune-level poverty. It also provides evidence that the poverty rate in the Angkor Sar commune is the second worst among 8 communes in the Mesang district. It is worth noting that, as mentioned later, Angkor Sar commune is chosen for the survey based on Samreth (2013), although its poverty rate is better than that of the Trapeang Srae commune. 2 For more detail, see the Ministry of Planning (2015). 3 The Ministry of Planning (2015) provides a detailed explanation on the procedure of the classification of the poverty level. 4 For the statistics on the poverty in other provinces, see the Ministry of Planning (2015).

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Table 3: District-level poverty in Prey Veng

District

Number of Households of Poor Level 1

Number of Households of Poor Level 2

Percentage of Poor Level 1 households

Percentage of Poor Level 2 households

Ba Phnum 2,008 3,283 9.1 % 14.9 % Kamchay Mear 2,021 3,661 9 % 16.4 % Kampong Trabaek 2,411 4,604 8.2 % 15.6 % Kanhchriech 1,280 1,956 7.9 % 12.1 % Me Sang 3,090 4,768 11.2 % 17.3 % Peam Chor 2,221 2,819 14.5 % 18.4 % Peam Ro 937 2,136 6.6 % 15 % Pea Reang 544 2,333 2.2 % 9.3 % Preah Sdach 3,135 5,321 10.8 % 18.3 % Krong Prey Veng 360 754 7.5 % 15.8 % Por Reang 925 1,664 7.7 % 13.8 % Sithor Kandal 1,266 2,245 7.7 % 13.6 % Svay Antor 2,830 3,206 10.5 % 11.8 % Total 23,028 38,750 8.8% 14.8% Data source: Ministry of Planning (2015) Note: The data is based on the round 8 (2014) survey of Identification of Poor Households Programme. Table 4: Commune-level poverty in Angkor Sar commune

Commune Number of Households of Poor Level 1

Number of Households of Poor Level 2

Percentage of Poor Level 1 households

Percentage of Poor Level 2 households

Angkor Sar 557 717 19.8 % 25.5 % Chres 325 693 8.6 % 18.3 % Chi Phok 225 556 5.1 % 12.7 % Prey Khnes 234 415 6.3 % 11.2 % Prey Rumdeng 206 301 8.8 % 12.9 % Prey Totueng 296 687 10.2 % 23.7 % Svay Chrum 310 505 8.9 % 14.5 % Trapeang Srae 937 894 22.6 % 21.6 % Total 3,090 4,768 11.2% 17.3% Data source: Ministry of Planning (2015) Note: The data is based on the round 8 (2014) survey of Identification of Poor Households Programme.

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3. A Preliminary Survey in Angkor Sar Commune, Mesang District 3.1. Location Selection, Sample Size and Survey Questionnaire Angkor Sar commune, in Mesang district in Prey Veng, is chosen for this field survey. Our location selection is based on Samreth (2013), which conducted a basic survey on 16 beggars in Phnom Penh in December 2012. As indicated by Samreth (2013), 15 out of 16 beggars are from Prey Veng, among which 9 are from Angkor Sar commune. Therefore, this commune is a good subject of study regarding poor households.

Among the poor households in this commune, the poorest group (the Poor Level 1 group) defined by Ministry of Planning (2015) is chosen for the survey. The number of households defined as Poor Level 1 is 557. For the preliminary survey, 120 Poor Level 1 households are randomly chosen from the 557 households. For the survey framework and questionnaire, we took into account the survey framework of previous studies and the questionnaire of Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey published by Cambodia’s Ministry of Planning. 5 The survey questionnaire is divided into various main parts: (1) household structure, (2) migration of household members, (3) housing condition, (4) land ownership, (5) livestock and poultry, (6) other property, (7) financial devices including rotating savings and credit association (ROSCA), saving and borrowing, (8) main monthly income sources of the whole family, and (9) main monthly expenditure of the whole family.

However, as mentioned above, this report presents only the part of household structure and characteristics and the migration of household members. 3.2. Survey Results and Statistics 3.2.1. Household Structure and Characteristics Among the 120 selected poor households, household size ranges from 1 person to 10 persons, and the average size is about 4 persons. Figure 2 presents the percentage of households by household size. The figure shows that the percentage of households with the smallest size (1 member) is 7.5% (9 households), and the percentage of households with the largest size (10 members) is 0.8% (one household). Additionally, the households with 5 members share the highest percentage in our sample. 5 The full survey questionnaire can be provided upon request.

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Table 5 provides information on the characteristics of the household heads. As can be seen from the table, about half of the household heads are female. The average age of the household heads is about 52 years old, and about one fourth of the household heads are aged 65 and over. Regarding the education level of the household heads, Table 5 indicates that more than one fourth of the household heads have no education or only completed a kindergarten level of education. More than half of them experienced grades at a primary education level. Table 5 also provides the information on the occupation of the household heads. The table shows that nearly one fifth of them are unemployed, and about 30% of them are farmers.

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Figure 2: Household information

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Table 5: Characteristics of the household heads

Sex of the household head Number of household heads Percentage of household heads

Male 66 55% Female 54 45%

Age of the household head Number of household heads Percentage of household heads

20 to 34 years 20 16.67% 35 to 49 years 29 24.17% 50 to 64 years 40 33.33% 65+ years 31 25.83% Minimum age: 23 - - Maximum age: 84 - - Average age: 51.95 - - Median age: 52 - -

Education of the household head Number of household heads Percentage of household heads

No education/kindergarten level 33 27.50% 1 to 6 years 67 55.83% 7 to 12 years 19 15.83% Other 1 0.83%

Occupation of the household head Number of household heads Percentage of household heads

Unemployed 23 19.17% Beggar 2 1.67% Construction worker 20 16.67% Farmer 37 30.83% Garment factory worker 3 2.50% Housewife 12 10.00% Other 23 19.17% Data source: Author's survey

3.2.2. Migration of Household Members Regarding the migration within Cambodia, Table 6 shows some basic statistics. From the table, 62% (74 households) of the total households have at least one household member migrating to other places within Cambodia. 88.71% of them (total number of migrants) migrated to the capital city, Phnom Penh, and the rest migrated to other parts of the country. The main purpose of the migration to Phnom Penh is working in the construction sector and garment factories. In terms of the migration to outside Cambodia, only 5% (6 households) of

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the total households have a member migrating to outside Cambodia, and only one migrant is female. All of these individuals migrated to Thailand, and the main purpose for the migration is working in a fishing boat and in factories. Table 6: Migration within Cambodia Migration To Phnom Penh To other part of Cambodia Total number of migrants 110 14 Percentage of migrants 88.71% (female: 48.18%) 11.29% (female: 28.57%) Purpose of migration Construction worker 62.73% 14.29% Garment factory worker 22.73% 7.14% House maid 0.91% 0.00% Beggar 2.73% 0.00% Other 10.91% 78.57% Data source: Author's survey Note: 62% (74 households) of the total households have at least one household member migrating. 4. Conclusion In an attempt to provide information on the financial diaries of the poor households in Cambodia, a survey project in Angkor Sar commune, Mesang district, Prey Veng province, is proposed. To prepare for such a study, a preliminary survey on randomely selected househoulds in the commune was conducted in February 2016. The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews. The interview questionnaire contains various main parts. This report focused on household information, including its structure and characteristics, and the migration situation of the household members. The statistics and results on the other parts of the preliminary survey will be presented in future studies. More analysis and implications from the survey are expected as well. Acknowledgement I would like to thank Mr. Makara Samreth, Director of the Department of Planning, Prey Veng Province, for his advice and help on the survey preparation when I visited the department in September 2015. I also wish to acknowledge the financial support from the Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (No. 15K17043). Needless to say, I am solely responsible for any errors that may appear in this report.

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