Dynamics and defi nitions of poverty in the Colombian Andes: participatory and objective approaches
No. 58 (2006-08-01)Author(s)
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Alexandra Peralta**Asistente de la Coordinación del Tema 2 de Investigación “Aguas y Personas en las Cuencas” del Programa “El Reto del Agua y la Alimentación”, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical CIAT, AA. 67-13 Cali, Colombia. Correo electrónico: m.a.peraltas@cgiar.org
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García James A.***Asociado de Investigación, Proyecto Análisis Espacial y Económico para Apoyar las tomas de Decisiones y de Política, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical CIAT, AA. 67-13 Cali, Colombia. Correo electrónico: j.garcia@cgiar.org
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Johnson Nancy****Investigadora y Coordinadora del Tema 2 de Investigación “Aguas y Personas en las Cuencas” del Programa “El Reto del Agua y la Alimentación”, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical CIAT, AA. 67-13 Cali, Colombia. Correo electrónico: n.johnson@cgiar.org
Abstract
The objective of this study is to examine the consistency of results of a participatory poverty assessment methodology applied in two Colombian watersheds with those from more objective approaches. The results suggest that there is a set of elements that are considered basic to both types of poverty assessment; however at the same time there are others that depend on household and community preferences. Moreover, the results indicate that the concept of poverty is context-specific: a household that is considered poor in one community may not be considered poor in another. The results of the participatory methodology are useful to identify who the poor are, why they are poor, and they provide a better understanding of the nature and dynamics of poverty. However, it may not be appropriate to generalize on the basis of the results of such methodologies since they may differ in both nature and magnitude from the results of objective poverty measures.