Farm Size, Land Ownership, and Fertility in Rural Egypt

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a household level analysis of land availability and fertility variation among farm families in rural Egypt. Data were drawn from a survey conducted in 2 predominantly rural governorates in Lower Egypt in 1978 Beheira and Kafr El Sheikh. They were purposely selected in an attempt to obtain areas representing a range of socioeconomic and demographic conditions. The analytical model that underlies the study postulates that fertility variation in rural areas is influenced by family access to land for cultivation purposes and the conditions governing that access as well as socioeconomic and demographic control variables. Among the 561 households sampled the mean value for land ownership was .47. The mean value for household income measured in Egyptian pounds was 112.83 with a standard deviation of 84.76 pounds. The females had been employed 9.7% of the years since marriage. On the average women had completed less than 3 months of formal education--.32 years. Access to land cultivation was significantly related to the other variables. Land ownership increased with farm size. Family income was closely linked to cultivated area. Landless laboring families had the lowest fertility. Wives of landless laborers were on the average younger slightly better educated and less likely to have worked for wages since marriage. The results support the hypothesis that the amount of land available to the family for cultivation is positively related to fertility. Land ownership was negatively related to children ever born. Per capita family income also exerted a negative influence on the number of children ever born. This indicates that income levels were such that the positive nutrition-induced income effect on fertility does not seem to prevail. Age at marriage was negatively associated with fertility and was statistically significant. The strongest variable was the womans age.