percentile, average household size is 5.07 persons and the dependency ratio8 is 1.36. For
households above the 40th percentile the average household size is 4.12 and the dependency ratio
is 0.92. In other words, poor households have more people and fewer economically active
household members to support them. Female-headed households have a smaller average
household size, but a higher dependency ratio.

 Table C1. Distribution of Households below Poverty Percentiles by ADD, 1995

 ADD percent percent No. of No. of
 Households Households Households Households
 below 20th below 40th below 20th below 40th
 percentile percentile percentile percentile
 Karonga 12.0 29.6 5611 13841

 Mzuzu 20.7 40.3 31846 61999
 Kasungu 2.5 8.5 6456 21949

 Salima 14.4 32.6 21369 48378

 Lilongwe 21.3 43.0 83719 169011

 Machinga 23.2 43.7 95025 178990

 Blantyre 26.3 51.3 125510 244815

 Shire Valley 22.5 41.7 31818 58969
 Total 401353 797953

 Source: World Bank, 1995 and FEWS

 There is a close relationship between the area of land cultivated by a household and its
poverty level. 74 percent of households below the 40th percentile cultivate less than 0.5 of a
hectare and 95 percent cultivate less than one hectare. However, cultivating a small area of land
cannot be equated with being poor. Some households who cultivate less than 0.5 hectares are
effectively part-time farmers, whose major source of income comes from off-farm employment.
In this respect they differ from poor smallholders who may also be dependent on off-farm income
to make ends meet, but who would see crop cultivation as their main activity and whose off-farm


 8 The ratio between household members aged 15 to 64 and household members under
15 and over 65 years of age. The higher the dependency ratio the fewer economically active
members of the family relative to the rest.