<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Livestock are an important component of rural livelihoods in developing countries, but data about this source of income and wealth are difficult to collect due to the nomadic and seminomadic nature of many pastoralist populations. Most household surveys exclude those without permanent dwellings, leading to undercoverage. In this study, we explore the use of a random geographic cluster sample (RGCS) 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. We present results of an RGCS survey with a total sample size of 784 households to measure livestock ownership in the Afar region of Ethiopia in 2012. We explore the RGCS data quality relative to a recent household survey, and discuss the implementation challenges.</p></abstract>

Livestock are an important component of rural livelihoods in developing countries, but data about this source of income and wealth are difficult to collect due to the nomadic and seminomadic nature of many pastoralist populations. Most household surveys exclude those without permanent dwellings, leading to undercoverage. In this study, we explore the use of a random geographic cluster sample (RGCS) 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. We present results of an RGCS survey with a total sample size of 784 households to measure livestock ownership in the Afar region of Ethiopia in 2012. We explore the RGCS data quality relative to a recent household survey, and discuss the implementation challenges.

Sampling Nomads: A New Technique for Remote, Hard-to-Reach, and Mobile Populations

World Bank – Development Economics Research Group, 1818 H St. NW Washington District of Columbia 20433, U.S.A.

Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany.

World Bank – Development Economics Research Group, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.A.

Journal of Official Statistics

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Livestock are an important component of rural livelihoods in developing countries, but data about this source of income and wealth are difficult to collect due...

Sampling Nomads: A New Technique for Remote, Hard-to-Reach, and Mobile Populations

Published Online: May 08, 2014

Page range: 191 - 213

Received: Feb 01, 2013

Accepted: Nov 01, 2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jos-2014-0013

Keywords
GIS, cluster sampling, pastoralists, livestock surveys

© by Kristen Himelein

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Sampling Nomads: A New Technique for Remote, Hard-to-Reach, and Mobile Populations

Published Online: May 08, 2014

Page range: 191 - 213

Received: Feb 01, 2013

Accepted: Nov 01, 2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jos-2014-0013

KeywordsGIS, cluster sampling, pastoralists, livestock surveys

© by Kristen Himelein

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Keywords
GIS, cluster sampling, pastoralists, livestock surveys