1. Saturday, October 10, 2015 Asia’s Poorest and Hungry: Trends and Characteristics Akhter Ahmed, Ruth Hill, Doris Wiesmann, and Lisa Smith International Food Policy Research Institute Policy Forum Session C on “Poverty and Hunger in Rural Asia” Manila August 9-10, 2007

2. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 2 Poverty in Asia: Where the poor live Poor living on less than $1 a day 937 million in 1990 614 million in 2004

3. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 3 Where the poor, the poorer, and the poorest Live Extreme poor (<$1 and $0.75): 372 million in 2004 Ultra poor (<$0.50): 29 million in 2004 Hardcore poor (<$0.75 and $0.50): 213 million in 2004

4. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 4 Trends in Extreme, Hardcore, and Ultra poverty rates: 1990-2004

5. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 5 Overall, poverty in Asia declined more for those closer to poverty line

6. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 6 In rural India, poverty fell most for those living between 50 and 75 cents a day

7. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 7 South Asia is a current hot spot of hunger, but hunger declined considerably

8. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 8 Global Hunger Index (2003): Ranking of Asian Countries

9. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 9 Selected Findings from Country Case Studies: Analysis of Nationally Representative Household Survey Data

10. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 10 Poverty is predominantly rural ( Poor living on less than $1 a day)

11. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 11 Prevalence of hunger is higher in urban areas (Less than 2,200 kcal/person/day)

12. INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE Page 12 South Asian rural landless are hard to reach—they benefit a little from agricultural development Lacking draft animals and farm implements, they can seldom work as sharecroppers, so most depend on daily wages for livelihood Most Pakistani and Bangladeshi rural poor living on less than $1-a-day are landless