CIVIC EDUCATION (GRADE 12)

TOPIC: POVERTY IN ZAMBIA

TOPIC STUDY GUIDE:
By the end of this topic you must;
1. Describe poverty
2. Define Relative poverty and Absolute poverty
3. Identify different methods used to measure poverty
4. Explain how Human Poverty Index (HPI) is used to measure poverty
5. Discuss the characteristics of poverty
6. Outline the causes of poverty
7. Discuss the effects of poverty
8. Analyse poverty Alleviation Measures
9. Identify the main areas addressed by the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP)

1. Definitions of Poverty
-It is the lack of access to basic needs. Basic Needs are those things a person cannot
live without, for instance food, shelter, water etc
-It is a condition of being poor. It is associated with the negative aspect of human
development
-According to the United Nations, poverty is the lack of income and productive
resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods.
NOTE: The definitions given above cannot effectively describe what poverty is. This is
because poverty cuts across social, economic, political, cultural and gender aspects of
life. Therefore, no single definition can give a complete meaning of poverty
-A person is said to be poor if he or she
(a) does not have enough money to feed and clothe a family
(b) has no school or clinic to go to
(c) is unable to participate effectively in society
(d) does not own land to grow own food or has no job to earn an income
2. Types of Poverty:
-Poverty is usually measured as either relative or absolute.
(a). Relative Poverty-It is a condition of having fewer resources or less income
than others within a given society or country.
-This means poverty is not uniformly determined. What is considered poverty to
one person or country may not be poverty to another person or country. It
depends on what aspect one is looking at,

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 (b) Absolute poverty: It can also be referred to as Abject or extreme poverty.

-This is a kind of poverty that threatens people’s health or lives.

-It is a condition of life characterised by malnutrition, illiteracy, poor surrounding, high
infant mortality and low life expectancy.
3. Methods used to measure poverty
(a) Using the three perspectives
-Poverty can be measured using the following three (3) perspectives.
i. Income Perspective
A person is poor if his or her income falls below the poverty datum line. For example: a
person living on one dollar a day.
-A poverty datum line is an average household income required to purchase basic
foods (food basket). This method of measuring poverty does not take into account other
basic needs such as shelter, education or health.
ii. Basic Needs Perspective
-A person is poor if his or her requirements for a minimal acceptable fulfillment of
human needs are not met.
iii. Capability Perspective
-A person is poor if he or she lacks certain capabilities to function such as adequate
food, clothing, shelter and ability to participate in community activities.
4. Using the Human Poverty Index. (HPI)
-HPI was developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
-It measures poverty in terms of deprivation (denied access to something) in the
following areas:
-Survival (life expectancy)- deprivation of a long life and healthy life measured by life
expectancy of about 40 years
-Knowledge deprivation measured by illiteracy
-A decent standard of living deprivation in economic provision measured by the
percentage of the population lacking access to health services and safe drinking water
and adequate nutrition.

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Central Statistical Office(CSO) and poverty analysis in Zambia.
-CSO is a government department responsible for not only carrying out national
population census but also collecting and analyzing data about the living conditions of
people in Zambia.
-It measures poverty by focusing on:
(a) material well-being perception of poverty where a poor person is defined as a
member of society who are un able to afford minimum basic needs.
(b) the cost of basic food basket (for a family of six) to determine the poverty datum line.
5. Characteristics Of Poverty
-People experience poverty in different ways and it affects them in the manner they
perceive it. The following are some of the characteristics of poverty as perceived at
various levels:
I. Personal and Physical Status
-Has no food or does not eat well
-Lack access to education
-Lack access to adequate shelter
-Lack of access to health care
-Poor clothing
II. Economic Status
-Lack of money or adequate income. Urban areas
-Lack of productive assets such as ploughs, hoes, oxen, fishing nets, canoes. Rural
areas
III. Social Status
-Inequality
-Low self esteem
-Landlessness/ no access to land
IV. Political Participation
-Powerlessness
-Lack of political voice

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-Lack of access to legal institutions that is courts of law
6. Causes of Poverty in Zambia
-There are many causes of poverty in Zambia. Some of them include the following;
i. Debt burden- A debt burden is a large amount of money that a country owes to
another which they find it difficult to pay back. Government spends much of its revenue
towards debt servicing (paying) instead of investing it to grow the economy.
ii. Lack of economic growth- Zambia is poor because its economy does not grow
significantly. The poor economic performance can be broadly divided into internal and
external factors.
(a) Internal factors- This may include economic policies that were developed and
implemented such nationalization of key sectors of the economy.
Nationalisation means the state taking over private businesses. This policy
discouraged individuals and private companies from investing their money in
the Zambian economy.
(b) External factors- This include low and fluctuating prices for Zambia’s main
export commodity (Copper) on the international market.
iii. Changes in Agriculture policies- Apart from copper, Zambia’s economy is largely
dependent on agriculture. But the negative frequent changes in agricultural policies
especially between 1992 and 2001 contributed to high levels of poverty in Zambia
especially in rural areas.
-The agricultural sector of the economy is characterized by
(a) inconsistent agricultural policies
(b) late arrival of agricultural inputs
(c) expensive agricultural inputs and implements
(d) inadequate storage facilities
(e) poor road infrastructure especially in rural areas
(f) insufficient agricultural finance or credit
(g) insufficient agriculture extension services and market information
- All these problems have left most small scale farmers with inadequate incomes to
meet basic needs of life.
iv. External dependence- Zambia mostly depends much on foreign investors instead
of encouraging local initiative or investment. Government policies on tax rebates (tax
breaks) tends to favour foreign investors at the expense of Zambian entrepreneurs. This

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discourages most Zambians to conduct business and compete fairly with foreign
investors.
v. Climatic variation- Changes in climate and other environmental conditions are also
a cause of poverty. Most parts of Zambia experience unreliable rainfall pattern and
sometimes floods and droughts become a common feature. This affects food production
and an increase in livestock diseases in the country.
vi. Morbidity and mortality rate- (Morbidity means illnesses while mortality means
deaths). The high rates of morbidity and mortality due to pandemics such as HIV and
AIDS and other diseases has greatly contributed to poverty. Both the family and the
country have lost productive members or breadwinners due to premature death. In
some cases the families and the country are spending a lot of times and resources to
take care of the ill members. This leaves most families in poverty while the country
loses on production of goods and services.
vii. Inequality- The distribution of wealth in the country has not been fair. Much of the
country’s wealth is spent in urban areas and very little in rural areas, a situation that’s
has perpetuated poverty in rural areas,
viii. Low salaries- Most people that are in employment suffer both low salaries and
poor conditions of service. This makes it difficult for them to save and invest in
productive areas to improve their lives. This too, is responsible for the poverty that is
seen among the working class.
ix. Poor work culture- Generally, people in the Zambian society to not value hard
work. They have negative attitude towards work and lack initiative while others are just
lazy. This leads to poverty. Those that have jobs report late for work, absent themselves
from work or just loiter when they are their places of work.
x. Gender inequalities in economic activities- There is low women participation in
economic development. Women are mostly hindered from accessing loans, land and
other means of production. This has led to poverty among the womenfolk.
xi. Illiteracy and Ignorance- Ignorance means lack of information or lack of knowledge.
It is different from stupidity, which is lack of intelligence, and different from foolishness
which is lack of wisdom. Lack of access to education increases illiteracy and ignorance
and these results in high poverty levels. Poverty makes most pupils drop out of school
early and it is most likely they cycle of poverty will continue in their respective families.
xii. Corruption, dishonest and abuse of resources- Due to corruption and dishonest
especially among public officers, resources that are meant to provide services in the
communities and improve the quality of life among the people, end up in the pockets of
someone in the position of power. Corruption in Zambia is a stumbling block to
meaningful development and poverty eradication. This is a major cause of poverty
today.

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xiii. Apathy- This is when people do not care, or when they feel so powerless that they
do not try to change things. They usually give up when things are difficulty. This way of
thinking can contribute to a weak economy and ultimately to poverty.

7. Effects Of Poverty
The effects of poverty are interrelated and the following are some of them.
-Hunger or food insecurity.
-High unemployment levels.
-Increase in crime rate.
- Conflicts in the society.
-Increase in corruption and vandalism.
-Lower life expectancy due to low standard of living.
-Increase in prostitution, resulting in the increment of unwanted pregnancies and high
levels of HIV and AIDS.
- Breakdown of extended family system (one of Zambia’s cultural practices).
-Increase in child labour and other violations of child rights.
-Depletion of natural resources due to more people exploiting the same inadequate
resources, such as water, forest and soil.
-Corruption

8. Poverty alleviation strategies

-Poverty alleviation is the process of lessening the suffering of the poor by meeting
their immediate pressing needs.
- The following are some of the ways in which poverty in Zambia can be alleviated.
i. Improving the provision of education as education is a very powerful tool for poverty
reduction.
ii. Improve food production and empower small scale farmers.
iii. Improve health status of people of Zambia especially the poor.

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iv. reduce the incidence, infection and socio-economic impact of HIV and AIDS.
v. Increase access to safe water and sanitation.
vi. Promote agricultural sector which will be able to export and ensure increased
household income and food security.
vii. Promote rural electrification to attract investments and reduce unemployment in
rural areas.
viii. Increasing access to factors of production such as land and farming implements.
ix. Increasing access to safe water and sanitation
x. Promoting rural electrification in order to promote income generating activities.
9. Poverty Alleviation Strategies and their Implementation in Zambia.
-Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) is the overall framework for national
planning and development focusing on interventions for poverty reduction.
-The overall national goal is to achieve sustained economic growth and employment
creation.
- The following are some of the main areas addressed by the PRSP.
i. Macro Economics:
-To achieve a high sustained real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.
ii. Agriculture:
- To promote a self-sustaining export led agricultural sector which ensure increased
household income and good security.
iii. Tourism:
-To enhance the Tourism Sector’s contribution to economic growth and poverty
reduction.
iv. Mining:
-To promote investment in the Mining Industry and ensure the development of self -
sustaining mineral based Industry.
v. Industry:
- To promote growth of an export led Industry leading to employment creation and
poverty reduction.
vi. Health:
-To improve the health status of people in Zambia especially the poor.

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vii. Education: To provide relevant equitable efficient and quality education for all.
viii. HIV/AIDS:
- To reduce the incidence, infection and socio-economic impact of HIV and AIDS.
ix. Gender:
- To promote gender balance to ease the burden of poverty especially of women at the
household, community and national levels.
x. Environment:
- To formulate good policies on the protection of the environment, management and
development of natural resources.
xi. Energy:
-To ensure optimum supply and utilization of energy
xii. Water and Sanitation:
- To contribute to poverty reduction through increased access to safe water and
sanitation, increased food production and food security.
xiii. Transport and Communication:
- To create and efficient transport and communication system that will promote
economic growth and poverty reduction.
xiv. Roads:
-To expand, rehabilitate and invest in the road sector so as to improve accessibility and
mobility.

NOTE: For further research, you must read on the following:

1. The role of government in poverty reduction.
2. The role of education in poverty reduction
3. The role of the mining sector in poverty reduction
4. Contribution of the tourism sector in poverty reduction
5. Your role as an individual in the fight against poverty.

END

St. Clement’s Secondary School/ Social Sciences Dept- Civic Education 12 notes-Poverty
 SOME PAST PAPER QUESTIONS ON POVERTY (With answers)

1. 2010 GCE PAPER 2

SECTION B QUESTION 7 [10 Marks]
Explain five ways in which poverty can be alleviated. (Refer to notes for the answer)

2. 2011 INTRNAL PAPER 2

SECTION B QUESTION 5
Poverty is uniformly spread across the nation. The large percentage of the total population is
living below the datum line.
(a) List and explain any three measures of alleviating poverty.
Answer:
(i) Education – by providing good education people can mean skills that will eventually
help them venture into income generation activities.
(ii) Transportation- this can alleviate poverty as it generates growth by facilitating trade
both nationally and internationally and by increasing access to social services like
health and education.
(iii) Agriculture- promoting agriculture will bring about infrastructure development, agro
business promotion and training, finance and investment, food security and
diversification.

(b) Mention any tow effects of poverty

(i) Participation withdrawals in national affairs
(ii) Can lead citizens to rise against the government
(Refer to notes for more)

3. 2010 INTRNAL PAPER 2

SECTION B QUESTION 5
(a) What is poverty?
Ans: it is the absence or lack of access to basic needs that enable a human being to live
a normal life
(a) Show how the following contribute to poverty in Zambia
(i) Debt-burden
Ans: income/ finances that can be used to embark on new projects are directed towards
debt servicing.
(ii) Climatic variations
Ans; this affect food production thereby reducing export and threaten food security
(iii). Low wages and salaries
Ans: this makes it difficulties for people to meet their basic needs and other social services.

(10 arks)

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 4. 2009 INTRNAL PAPER 2
SECTION B QUESTION 5

QUESTION 5
Discuss the effects of poverty (10 marks)
Answer: Poverty can be looked at as the absence of basic necessities that make life livable.
With it come a lot of effects. These include high unemployment levels which bring about
dependence syndrome. Apart from this, poverty also reduces life expectancy due to low
standard of living. Moreover, increase in crime rate and corruptions are some other negative
vices associated with poverty, notwithstanding the increase in prostitution as well. Poverty can
also lead to the depletion and of natural resource due to more people exploiting the same
inadequate resources. Lastly but not the least, poverty breaks down the extended family system
due to insufficient resources to look after additional members of the family. Poverty can as well
as lead to the depletion of natural resources due to more people exploiting the same inadequate
resources. Lastly but not least, poverty breaks down the extended family system due to
insufficient resources to look after additional members of the family.

5. 2007 INTRNAL PAPER 2

SECTION B QUESTION 6 (10 marks)
Below is an extract from the times of Zambia Friday October 14, 2005
“The president has directed that all annual budgets from next year to 2011 be targeted
towards poverty reduction. Following the directive a lot of money will be spent on training
and direct assistance to communities and promoting income generating activities. Money
will also be spent on enhancing people’s livelihood, job creation, good health and other
social amenities.

(i).Define poverty
Ans. Poverty may be defined as the insufficient access to basic needs.
(ii).List any three causes of poverty
a. Changes in agricultural policies
b. Lack of economic growth
c. Internal factors such as unemployment
d. External factors such as trade imbalance
e. Debt burden

(ii).Explain how job creation, education and good health would help alleviate poverty
a. Job creation can alleviate poverty by providing a steady income that can be used to
cater for one’s basic needs.
b. Education is a very powerful tool for poverty reduction. This can be done by increasing
skills development and vocational training so that people can be entrepreneurs.
c. Health can alternate poverty by improving the health status of people in Zambia,
especially the poor through reducing the incidences of infection and social economic
impact of HIV/AIDS and improve the life expectancy and productivity.
END

St. Clement’s Secondary School/ Social Sciences Dept- Civic Education 12 notes-Poverty