CAMBODIA

1. ISSUE: DERIVING FOOD SECURITY STATISTICS AT SUB NATIONAL LEVELS AND GENDER ANALYSIS OF FOOD DEPRIVATION CAMBODIA A gender analysis of Food Security Statistics by Specific Population Groups in the Cambodian 2003/05 CSES

2. BACKGROUND Poverty (income deprivation) and hunger (food deprivation) are two important aspects of food insecurity in Cambodia. . In their role of food producers, care givers and income generators, women are one of the most vulnerable and food insecure groups. In particular, when they are head of the households (35 percent).

3. THE SURVEY Cambodian Socio Economic Survey (CSES 2004) collected data on household consumption using two different data collection methodologies: traditional recall questions and a monthly diary for all household economic transactions. Largest multi-objective household survey ever undertaken (15,000 Households) in 900 villages from November, 2003 to January, 2005.

4. THE METHODOLOGY The FAO Food Security Statistics Module (FSSM) was applied to the CSES 2004 food consumption data: It yielded food consumption statistics. It converted food consumption in quantities to dietary energy consumption (DEC) based on data from the ASEAN Food Composition Table. It estimated the minimum dietary energy requirement (MDER) for different population groups using sampled age and sex population structures and heights collected in the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS 2005-2006).

5. ISSUE Women’s important contribution to food security has been under-documented in food insecurity statistics due to a lack of analysis using a gender lens. This paper attempts to fill this gap through analysis food security statistics (FSS) for sub-national groups, in particular household groups by gender of household head by area of residence (urban and rural) and by regions.

6. FINDINGS ON AGE AND SEX STRUCTURE & PROPORTION OF FAMILIES FOR URBAN AND RURAL AREAS

7. Such patterns are perhaps due to: The decline in fertility from 1995. Internal migration (35% of the Cambodian has been classified as migrants). Differences in age-adjusted adult mortality rate for male (5.18 in 15-49 age groups) and for female (3.12 in 15-49 age groups). Refugees return could have determined lower male proportion in female headed households with respect female proportion. FINDINGS ON PROPORTION, AGE AND SEX OF SURVEY HOUSEHOLDS

8. FINDINGS ON HUNGER : Food deprivation higher for female-headed households than for male-headed households

9. FINDINGS ON HUNGER Food deprivation proportions are higher for female-headed households in the majority of the provinces

10. The MDER and its cost in the first quintile of income was higher in female-headed households than in male-headed households: At national level (1732 versus 1713 kcal/person/day) and (559 versus 500 Riel/1000 kcal). In urban areas (1766 versus 1756 kcal/person/day) and (685 versus 641 Riel/1000 kcal). In rural areas (1725 versus 1705 kcal/person/day) and (535 versus 483 Riel/1000 kcal). FINDINGS ON POVERTY

11. FINDINGS ON POVERTYCritical Food Poverty proportions are higher for female-headed households than for male-headed households.

12. FINDINGS ON POVERTY Critical food poverty proportions are higher for female-headed households than male headed households in Kampong Cham, a province with 95 percent of the population

13. FINDINGS ON FOOD CONSUMPTION AND EXPENDITURES DIETARY ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND DIETARY ENERGY PRICES

14. FINDINGS ON SHARE OF FOOD CONSUMPTION BY FOOD SOURCE AND EXPENDITURESIn urban and in rural areas, for both male- and female-headed households, the share of DEC from purchases and from eating away from home to total DEC was linked to income levels

15. The quality of the diet is the same for female and male headed households at national level. Female-headed households had a higher average dietary energy unit cost than male-headed households. Food may cost more due to acquisition mechanisms such as credit or small quantities frequently that increase food cost. FINDINGS ON DIET DIVERSITY AND ON DIETARY UNIT ENERGY COST

16. At national level, female-headed households in the first and fifth quintile of income, spent a large share of their total consumption expenditure on food. This indicates that female-headed households had less money left for buying other goods different than food. The coefficient of variation of dietary energy consumption indicates that in both rural and urban areas inequality in access to food was higher in female than male headed households. FINDINGS ON SHARE OF FOOD IN TOTAL CONSUMPTION AND INEQUALITY IN ACCESS TO FOOD

17. Food deprivation was higher for female-headed households than their male-headed counterparts in both urban and rural areas. The overall gender pattern of food deprivation rates was quite varied by region and by province. Similar patterns were observed for critical food poverty. CONCLUSION AND REMARKS

18. Female-headed households in both urban and rural areas consumed less kilocalories of food energy and paid more compared to male-headed households. Female-headed households in rural areas are so reliant on food purchases to supply their DEC, despite their low per capita incomes. CONCLUSION AND REMARKS

19. Ethnographic/qualitative studies are recommended in order to analyze and compare the social structure of consumption and food access by the household groups analysed. Income generation and livelihoods support activities for rural women, should be considered. A similar analyses employing of food insecurity patterns based on household food consumption statistics using a gender perspective should be encouraged for other countries. RECOMMENDATIONS

20. The dataset was used to perform a quantitative analysis but it did not support a qualitative analysis in terms of providing explanations of the patterns. LIMITATIONS

21. THANK YOU