Chitwan Valley [Nepal] Family Study: Labour Outmigration, Agricultural Productivity and Food Security, Nepal, 2015-2017 (ICPSR 36755)
I. Introduction
About the Guide
This Data Guide is an overview of the Chitwan Valley [Nepal] Family Study: Labour Outmigration, Agricultural Productivity and Food Security, Nepal, 2015-2017 (ICPSR 36755) and provides specific instructions for obtaining the related Chitwan Valley Family Study (CVFS) datasets, which you can download to your own computer from DSDR at ICPSR. CVFS users should also refer to the Chitwan Valley Family Study website, which provides greater detail on the topics discussed below.
This Data Guide is also available for download from the Chitwan Valley [Nepal] Family Study: Labour Outmigration, Agricultural Productivity and Food Security, Nepal, 2015-2017 (or CVFS LOAF) study homepage under the “Data & Documentation” tab as a DS0 study-level file.
About the Data
The Chitwan Valley Family Study (CVFS) is a comprehensive family panel study of individuals, families, and communities in the Chitwan Valley of Nepal.
Two studies make up the CVFS series:
The Changing Social Contexts and Family Formation study (ICPSR 4538) was initially designed to investigate the influence of changing community and household contexts on population outcomes such as marital and childbearing processes. Over time the goals of the study expanded to investigate family dynamics, intergenerational influences, child health, migration, labor force participation, attitudes and beliefs, mental health, agricultural production, environmental change, and many other topics. The data include full life histories for more than 10,000 individuals, tracking and interviews with all migrants, continuous measurement of community change, over 25 years of demographic event registry, and many other data collections. Please see the study homepage for more information or consult the data guide available for this study.
For more information about what type of data are available and how the data were collected, please see the Chitwan Valley Family Study website.
- The Labour Outmigration, Agricultural Productivity and Food Security study (ICPSR 36755) was a three-year project with the aim to investigate the consequences of labor outmigration on agricultural productivity in a poor agricultural country persistently facing food security problems. This project's data collection is made up of twenty-five datasets (23 Public-Use, 2 Restricted-Use).
The CVFS is supported by multiple grants from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and National Institute of Mental Health. Department for International Development (UK), Economic and Social Research Council (UK). National Science Foundation. Additional information about the CVFS project is available on the Chitwan Valley Family Study website.
II. Initial Sample
Multistage, stratified, clustered sampling design to represent the general population of the western Chitwan Valley in south central Nepal in 1995. In 2008 and 2016, the CVFS sample was refreshed to insure representation of the population of Chitwan.
III. Data Elements
The CVFS LOAF data are available in two forms – public-use and restricted-use (files listed in Table 1). Each dataset has a related codebook that contains the ICPSR codebook and the instruments used to collect the data (available here). Additional versions of the questionnaires are available on the LOAF website.
Table 1. List of Available Public-Use and Restricted Data Files
| Part Number | File Name | Date of Data Collection |
|---|---|---|
| DS1 | Household Agriculture and Migration Survey Public-Use Calendar Data | 7/15/2015 - 12/20/2015 |
| DS2 | Seasonal Agriculture Survey Data Season 1[1] | 3/02/2016 - 2/21/2017 |
| DS3 | Seasonal Agriculture Survey Data Season 2 | 1/07/2016 – 11/01/2017 |
| DS4 | Seasonal Agriculture Survey Data Season 3 | 1/12/2016 - 12/01/2017 |
| DS5 | Seasonal Agriculture Survey Data Season 4 | 1/06/2016 - 5/07/2017 |
| DS6 | Seasonal Agriculture Survey Data Season 5 | 3/11/2016 - 4/03/2016 |
| DS7 | Lentil Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 1 | 2/28/2017 - 4/04/2017 |
| DS8 | Lentil Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 2 | 6/13/2016 - 8/19/2016 |
| DS9 | Maize Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 1 | 6/28/2017 - 8/10/2017 |
| DS10 | Maize Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 2 | 2/03/2016 - 3/10/2016 |
| DS11 | Mustard Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 1 | 1/05/2017 - 3/26/2017 |
| DS12 | Mustard Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 2 | 10/26/2015 - 12/03/2015 |
| DS13 | Rice Paddy Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 1 | 10/20/2016 - 11/27/2016 |
| DS14 | Rice Paddy Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 2 | 3/26/2016 - 4/10/2016 |
| DS15 | Wheat Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 1 | 3/06/2017 - 4/10/2017 |
| DS16 | Wheat Crop Cutting Survey Data Season 2 | 03/2015 - 01/2017 |
| DS17 | Event Registry Survey Data 2015-2017 | 8/23/2015 - 6/21/2017 |
| DS18 | Women’s Time Use Survey Data Season 1-5 | 8/23/2015 - 6/21/2017 |
| DS19 | Women’s Time Use Survey Data Season 1 | 1/01/2016 - 5/08/2016 |
| DS20 | Women’s Time Use Survey Data Season 2 | 5/16/2016 - 9/22/2016 |
| DS21 | Women’s Time Use Survey Data Season 3 | 9/25/2016 - 1/29/2017 |
| DS22 | Women’s Time Use Survey Data Season 4 | 3/02/2017 - 6/21/2017 |
| DS23 | Women’s Time Use Survey Data Season 5 | 2/22/2017 - 6/21/2017 |
| DS24 | Household Agriculture and Migration Survey Restricted-Use Calendar Data | 7/15/2015 - 12/20/2015 |
| DS25 | Household Agriculture and Migration Survey Restricted-Use Survey Data | 7/15/2015 - 12/20/2015 |
[1] Dataset 2 (formerly Women’s Time Use Survey Data) has been changed to Dataset 19 (Women’s Time Use Survey Data Season 1)
IV. Variables*
Table 2. Types of Household and Individual-Level Variables Available by Dataset
| Category | Dataset [DS] Numbers | Instrument(s) | Types of Variables ([R]=restricted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Household-Level Data | |||
| Household Agriculture and Migration Survey Public-Use Calendar Data | DS1* | Labor Outmigration, Agricultural Productivity, and Food Security Survey and Agriculture and Remittance Calendar | Employment/sources of income, household farming practices, changes in area of cultivated and fallow land, house and land ownership, crop plantation and production, farm technology use, livestock, migration and remittances, food security and availability, and observed physical features of the household dwelling (type and size of house, construction material, well, cleanliness) |
| Seasonal Agricultural Survey Data | DS2, DS3, DS4, DS5, DS6 |
DS2: Season 1: Amount and type of land used, crop type, processes and financial outlays for farming
DS3: Season 2: Same measures as Season 1 (DS2) DS4: Season 3: Same measures as Season 1 (DS2) DS5: Season 4: Same measures as Season 1 (DS2) DS6: Season 5: Same measures as Season 1 (DS2) |
|
| Crop Cutting Survey Data | DS7, DS8, DS9, DS10, DS11, DS12, DS13, DS14, DS15, DS16 |
Lentil, Maize, Mustard, Rice, and Wheat Crop Cutting Surveys | DS7: Season 1 Lentil: Land type, fertilizer use, name and variety of lentil, production measures
DS8: Season 2 Lentil: Same measures as Season 1 (DS7) DS9: Season 1 Maize: Land type, fertilizer use, name and variety of maize, production measures DS10: Season 2 Maize: Same measures as Season 1 (DS9) DS11: Season 1 Mustard: Land type, fertilizer use, name and variety of mustard, production measures DS12: Season 2 Mustard: Same measures as Season 1 (DS11) DS13: Season 1 Rice: Land type, fertilizer use, name and variety of rice, production measures DS14: Season 2 Rice: Same measures as Season 1 (DS13) DS15: Season 1 Wheat: Land type, fertilizer use, name and variety of wheat, production measures DS16: Season 2 Wheat: Same measures as Season 1 (DS15) |
| Event Registry Survey Data 2015-2017 | DS17 | Labor Outmigration, Agricultural Productivity, and Food Security Survey and Agriculture and Remittance Calendar | Counts of household members including new members, members interviewed in 1996/2008 baselines, specific age ranges, castes, gender, members living away from household/outside Nepal, married, pregnant, and in school |
| Household Agriculture and Migration Survey Restricted-Use Calendar Data | DS24** | Labor Outmigration, Agricultural Productivity, and Food Security Survey and Agriculture and Remittance Calendar | [R] Restricted-use version of DS1 |
| Household Agriculture and Migration Survey Restricted-Use Survey Data | DS25** | Labor Outmigration, Agricultural Productivity, and Food Security Survey | [R] Employment/sources of income, household farming practices, changes in area of cultivated and fallow land, house and land ownership, crop plantation and production, farm technology use, livestock, migration and remittances, food security and availability, and observed physical features of the household dwelling (type and size of house, construction material, well, cleanliness) |
| Individual-Level Data | |||
| Women’s Time Use Survey | DS18*, DS19*, DS20*, DS21*, DS22*, DS23* | Women’s time use survey | DS19: Data Season 1: Number of hours worked in various household (farming and non-farming) activities in the past 24 hours, and the number of days worked in each activity in the past month
DS20: Data Season 2: Same measures as Season 1 (DS19) DS21: Data Season 3: Same measures as Season 1 (DS19) DS22: Data Season 4: Same measures as Season 1 (DS19) DS23: Data Season 5: Same measures as Season 1 (DS19) |
* The Processing Notes section of the ICPSR PDF Codebook describes questions included the data collection instrument that are unavailable in the data.
** Some variables are present in the data, but not in the study documentation.
For information on the data available in each file, please see the household-level and individual-level data pages on the CVFS website. Variables in the LOAF study data can be searched and compared directly from the DSDR LOAF study home page.
V. Merging Data Files
For more information about linking data files, please see the webinar "Linking Data within the CVFS and Beyond" on the Chitwan Valley Family Study website.
VI. How to Obtain Data and Documentation Files
Accessing Data and Documentation from DSDR
Public-use and restricted-use data from the Chitwan Valley Family Study: Labour Outmigration, Agricultural Productivity and Food Security, Nepal, 2015-2017 are made available through DSDR, a data archive within ICPSR.
Public-use
Researchers interested in downloading analysis-ready public-use data and documentation files can do so free of charge through the DSDR website. Data are available in four statistical package formats: SAS, SPSS, STATA, and R. Raw ASCII and Excel/TSV data are also provided with accompanying setup (syntax) files. Documentation is provided in PDF format.
CVFS public-use data files are often altered to minimize disclosure risk. This can include removing variables, scrambling id variables, top- or bottom-coding variables, and/or collapsing variables or response options. These alterations sometimes limit the analytic potential of the data.
To download the CVFS LOAF public-use data and/or documentation, researchers must agree to the Terms of Use. To download all public-use files, select the Download drop-down menu from the middle right-hand side of the study homepage. Choose the file format you would like. If interested in the setup (syntax) files, the datasets must be downloaded individually as ASCII + Stata/SAS/SPSS Setup.
Restricted-use
Researchers interested in accessing analysis-ready restricted-use data and documentation files can do so free of charge through the DSDR website. Data are available in four statistical package formats: SAS, SPSS, STATA, and R. Raw ASCII and Excel/TSV data are also provided with accompanying setup (syntax) files. Documentation is provided in PDF format.
Restricted-use files can include details that were removed or masked in public-use files, providing greater analytic potential, but requiring stricter legal and electronic requirements for data use.
To access the CVFS restricted-use data and/or documentation, researchers must agree to the Restricted Data Use Agreement. To apply for access to all CVFS restricted-use files, select the Access Restricted Data button from the middle right-hand side of the study homepage. The data are available through secure dissemination (download) or the Virtual Data Enclave (VDE). Fill out and submit the application and required materials to DSDR as instructed.
First Steps toward Obtaining and Working with CVFS Analytic Files
Before downloading the data or beginning analysis, it is important to become familiar with the study by visiting the Chitwan Valley Family Study website; this will help orient you to the study and answer many questions that may come up regarding the data.
VII. Learn More
Additional Resources
- LOAF Website
- LOAF Publications
- Chitwan Valley Family Study Website
- Chitwan Valley Family Study Publications Database
- ICPSR Abbreviated Bibliography of Chitwan Valley Family Study-based Publications
- Questions regarding the Chitwan Valley Family Study project? Contact CVFS.
- Questions regarding this Data Guide or CVFS data files? Contact DSDR.
Acknowledgements
This Data Guide was prepared by Sara C. Britt, Kelly Ogden-Schuette, and Sarah Rush using Chitwan Valley Family Study (CVFS) documentation created by CVFS project staff from the University of Michigan and ICPSR in conjunction with CVFS project staff. It was developed for the Data Sharing for Demographic Research (DSDR), a project supported by the Population Dynamics Branch (PDB) of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. DSDR is housed within the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR).