Understanding The Daily Realities of Poverty
November 2025
The Nasio Trust has once again partnered with Evidence for Development (EfD), a UK based research organisation, to understand how families in Buchirinya, a village near Musanda where Nasio works, are coping with the daily realities of poverty. Our latest survey from 2025 revisits the same households surveyed in 2024, using the Individual Household Method (IHM), a unique method that allows practitioners to gain an indepth perspective into rural livelihoods.
Small Farms, Low Yields, and Limited Opportunities
Small Farms, Low Yields, and Limited Opportunities
Poverty levels in Buchirinya remain extremely high, with about 11% of households unable to meet even the basic standard of living, and around 3% unable to afford enough food for their families.
Most families rely on small plots of land, often just about quarter of an acre, and crop yields remain low. Only three households were able to grow enough food to meet their own energy needs. This means nearly everyone must buy most of their staple foods, making them extremely vulnerable to rising prices.
Agricultural day labour is the main source of cash income for many. Better-off families diversify through skilled trades, small businesses, or salaried work such as teaching. While around a quarter of households own a dairy cow, milk yields are low and cattle rustling remains a real concern.
Why This Study Matters to Nasio’s Work
Staff members from our Agriculture, Youth, Education, Healthcare, and Social Work departments were trained to conduct the survey by Dr Celia Petty, co founder of EfD and a professor at University of Reading. By training our own staff to conduct this kind of detailed research, Nasio continues to invest in local expertise and long-term solutions. These findings help us shape our programmes in a way that truly matches the needs of the families we serve, whether that’s through sustainable farming support or income-generating opportunities.
This story is listed in: Food Security
