Comparing Vulnerability to Poverty: A Case Study in the Northern Region of Malaysia

Jamalludin Sulaiman,Abdelhak Senadjki,Azlinda Azman

doi:10.13189/ijrh.2014.020204

Abstract

Malaysia has effectively succeeded in reducing the incidence of poverty from high of 50 percent in the 1950s to less than 10 percent currently. Poverty is also a regional phenomenon in Malaysia. In less developed states in the northern region of Malaysia (which includes the states of Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu), both poverty and a wide variety of risks are widespread among household member, especially in the rural areas. These make them more vulnerable overtime. This study argued that households have different set of tools or behavior to overcome these shocks and manage the onset and the consequences of the risks. However, the degree of their behavior pattern depends on the differential access to various types of assets and entitlements. Three rounds of panel data analysis on a sample of 170, 202 and 101 farmers in Perlis, Terengganu and Kelantan respectively provides the socio-economic profile of the population while estimating and comparing the Vulnerability as Expected Poverty among the 3 selected states. The results confirmed the presence of vulnerability to poverty among farmers in the communities studied. As there are factors that significantly contribute to farmers' vulnerability reduction such as land size, loans, mechanization, subsidies in fertilizers and spend saving in productive assets; also there are some strategies (sell of natural resources, sell of productive assets and sell of non-productive assets) that implemented by farmers that were the main cause for their impoverishment. These strategies were counter-productive rather than productive. The findings of the present study argued that in order to eradicate poverty from the Malaysian society, policymakers should add to the present anti-poverty schemes (which are ex-post in nature) programs that are ex-ante in nature. The ex-ante programs have the ability to target the non-poor people today to protect their future human rights.

Highlights

Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu), both poverty and a wide variety of risks are widespread among household members, especially in the rural areas
Terengganu, Kelantan, Perlis, Kedah and Perak argued that in order to eradicate poverty from the Malaysian society, policymakers should add to the present anti-poverty schemes programs that are ex-ante in nature
In order to eradicate poverty from the Malaysian society, policy maker should include to the present anti-poverty schemes programs that are ex-ante in nature

Summary

Introduction

Kelantan and Terengganu), both poverty and a wide variety of risks are widespread among household members, especially in the rural areas These make them more vulnerable over a period of time. In some cases the negative impact of such calamities cause a massive destruction to crop yield such as paddy, rubber, oil palm and Cocoa (Al-Amin et al, 2011) Other risks such as increase temperature, weeds, injurious insects, soil fertility, drainage water supply, and cost of inputs, labor scarcity and paddy prices contributing to the deterioration of household’s livelihoods (Alam et al, 2011a). Northern Region of Malaysia down the process of eradicating poverty from these communities (Jamalludin et al, 2012; Abdelhak et al., 2012a) These make rural population more vulnerable to poverty.

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion