Dalit's livelihoods in Nepal: income sources and determinants

Abstract

This paper focuses on the lack of income opportunities for Dalits in Nepal, as they are the most affected group in any disaster. The presence of vulnerable family members in Dalit households may further increase their income deprivation. We therefore studied Dalit households' income sources and identified income determinants in Gandaki Rural Municipality in Gorkha District-the epicentre of the 2015 earthquake. We observed a higher dependency of Dalit households on daily wages, livestock sales, social security allowances, and vegetables sales; however, remittance and seasonal job earnings represented the largest share of household incomes. We observed a significant difference in per capita income between farm (US$46) and non-farm (US$273) income sources, with the difference smallest in the lowest income quantile and the largest in the highest quantile. When the household head was a single woman, we observed a reduction in non-farm (by 29%) and total incomes (by 23%). Likewise, when the household head had a chronic health problem, or the household included an elderly family member, there was a reduction in the household's income. We suggest economic interventions for Dalit households to prevent increased social exclusion in the development process, specifically focusing on vulnerable individuals and households in the lowest income quantile.

Keywords: Dalit; Gorkha earthquake; Income; Nepal; Purnima.

Fig. 1

Dimensions of poverty, shocks, and livelihood intervention (modified from Matin & Hulme, 2003)

Fig. 2

Location of the Gandaki municipality

Fig. 3

Ethnicity and caste diversity in the study area

Fig. 4

Per capita income from farm and non-farm sources by quantile