Resource information
Livestock are an important component of
rural livelihoods in developing countries, but data about
this source of income and wealth are difficult to collect
because of the nomadic and semi-nomadic nature of many
pastoralist populations. Most household surveys exclude
those without permanent dwellings, leading to undercoverage.
This study explores the use of a random geographic cluster
sample as an alternative to the household-based sample. In
this design, points are randomly selected and all eligible
respondents found inside circles drawn around the selected
points are interviewed. This approach should eliminate
undercoverage of mobile populations. The results of a random
geographic cluster sample survey are presented with a total
sample size of 784 households to measure livestock ownership
in the Afar region of Ethiopia in 2012. The paper explores
the data quality of the random geographic cluster sample
relative to a recent household survey and discusses the
implementation challenges.
